Is there life in Hollywood after a #MeToo accusation? It depends.
From Kevin Spacey to Brett Ratner to Louis C.K., most high-profile Hollywood players who have faced public takedowns are finding that work prospects are nonexistent. But a few recent moves demonstrate that some financiers are willing to work with those who carry their share of #MeToo baggage.
In December, Bryan Singer was sued by a man who claims the Bohemian Rhapsody director raped him when he was 17 years old. But Millennium Films is willing to take a chance on Singer, hiring him to direct a “female-empowered” remake of Red Sonja.
A knowledgeable source tells The Hollywood Reporter that Singer is negotiating for a payday of up to $10 million, a stunning figure given that there appeared to be no studios gunning for his services amid a risk-averse climate.
Meanwhile, Roman Polanski has secured “a substantial budget” to make passion project J’Accuse, according to a project insider, who adds: “This is not some art house film budget.”
Alain Goldman (La Vie En Rose) is producing and financing Polanski’s period take on the Dreyfus affair, with production starting in October (Oscar winner Jean Dujardin is on board to play the investigator who proved that Capt. Alfred Dreyfus, a French-Jewish solider, was wrongly accused of espionage).
While Polanski’s statutory rape of a 13-year-old girl predates #MeToo by four decades, the Oscar-winning director has only experienced the unforgiving industry reception in the past year, when he was kicked out of the Academy along with Harvey Weinstein.
Polanski and Singer are the exceptions given that networks and studios owned by publicly traded companies have gone so far as to expunge content created by Hollywood’s accused, like C.K., whose stand-up shows have been removed from both Netflix and HBO. But inconsistencies reign even when it comes to what stays and what goes. HBO, for one, keeps featuring Russell Simmons Presents Def Comedy and Russell Simmons Presents Brave New Voices on its platforms.
HBO defends its inclusion of previous seasons of the series that feature Simmons — who has been accused of rape by multiple women —front and center in the title and during each episode. The network opted not to remove the content because it would deprive promising comedians of an opportunity to showcase their talent. An HBO spokesperson adds, “We have no other projects with Russell Simmons.”
This story first appeared in the Oct. 3 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.
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