Bohemian Rhapsody just lost out on the chance to pick up an award because of newly detailed sexual assault accusations against director Bryan Singer. Media watchdog group GLAAD has yanked the film from its best-original-film contenders, reports Variety. GLAAD said the recent exposé in the Atlantic documented "unspeakable harms endured by young men and teenage boys" and "brought to light a reality that cannot be ignored or even tacitly rewarded.” Singer has strongly denied the claims in the article, which he dismissed as a "homophobic smear piece." Spokesmen for Singer and 20th Century Fox, the distributor of the film, had no immediate comment.
Not all the news for Singer is bad, however: Millennium Films is sticking with the director, who is working on a remake of the adventure film Red Sonja, reports the AP. "I know the difference between agenda driven fake news and reality, and I am very comfortable with this decision," says Millennium chief Avi Lerner. "In America people are innocent until proven guilty." Meanwhile, the Time's Up movement against sexual harassment applauded the move by GLAAD. "Though there was once a time when business as usual could continue amid credible allegations of sexual assault and violence—that era has ended forever," said the group. (More Bryan Singer stories.)