X-Men director Bryan Singer is aiming for his Hollywood comeback with a period film set in Israel during the late ’70s or early ’80s, meaning the movie is squarely set during the country’s occupation of Lebanon. Though it could make the film potentially radioactive to distributors, reports state that a deal might already be in place, despite the current political climate in Hollywood.
Meanwhile, a source who saw the final cut of the film claimed, “[The film] makes Israel look really bad and could be polarizing” (via Variety). Starring Jon Voight (Mission: Impossible), both the film and its director have caused quite a stir in Hollywood with the ambitious nature of the project.
If the film finds a market in the US, it will mark Singer’s first mainstream project since his disgraced exit from Bohemian Rhapsody (via Variety).
X-Men Director Bryan Singer Seeks Redemption With 3 Films Set in Israel
Bryan Singer at the Tokyo International Film Festival in 2015 [Image by Dick Thomas Johnson, licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons]
Bryan Singer’s upcoming movie, filmed in 2023 in Greece, is a period drama set in Israel, where he has been staying for years since his exile. A source close to the project has revealed that the story follows an architect looking for redemption (Variety), much like Singer himself in Hollywood.
Variety also reports that the period drama revolves around the relationship between a father and son. While the movie’s unofficial synopsis doesn’t sound too controversial in itself, it could be set against the backdrop of the Israeli-Lebanese conflicts of 1978 and 1982.
Singer is currently pitching 3 films, all set in Israel (via Variety), though the plot is being kept under secrecy until the director finds a distributor. Israeli filmmaker Yariv Horovitz is said to be involved with the projects.
Bryan Singer’s Upcoming Film Shrouds Itself in Hollywood Controversy
Bryan Singer at the San Diego Comic-Con in 2015 [Image by Gage Skidmore, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons]
Bryan Singer’s redemption film could doom his career for good. Since the 2019 exposé by The Atlantic on his alleged sexual misconduct involving minors and another by The Hollywood Reporter on his behavior on the X-Men sets, the director has been living in disgrace on the peripheries of the industry.
However, his comeback movie is not going to be much help to the former auteur, seeing how sensitive and divisive the subject matter of his new film is.
For one, it could drag the Israeli conflict into the center of attention for both critics and audiences. The source described Singer’s movie as “a really well-made film with awards-season potential,” but also predicted, “it’s going to be a huge hotbed of controversy.”
The Israel-Palestine debate has already drawn Hollywood into a warzone, with celebrities showing their support, voicing their opinions, and being canceled by the public. With Bryan Singer now bringing a slew of 3 films set in Israel, the public outcry that follows could be one of the biggest seen in recent years.
If the trilogy fails to respect the tone and pacify the culturally volatile climate regarding the Middle East, Singer may no longer have a career to fall back on.
What do you think of Singer’s ambitious project for his comeback? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
No release date has been scheduled for the film yet.
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