Bryan’s damage control

Director Bryan Singer on Monday accused Esquire of dredging up old allegations about him in an upcoming article for the magazine. The X-Men franchise director issued a statement via Instagram saying that he’s known for some time that the magazine “may publish a negative article” about him and he preemptively denied some of its details.

He said the article, which has yet to be published, repeats the same allegations, presumably about sexual assault, which have dogged him for years.

“They have contacted my friends, colleagues, and people I don’t even know,” Singer wrote in his Instagram post. “In today’s climate where people’s careers are being harmed by mere accusations, what Esquire is attempting to do is a reckless disregard for the truth, making assumptions that are fictional and irresponsible.”

He said he believes the Esquire article will “attempt to rehash false accusations and bogus lawsuits,” misuse quotes from unreliable sources and “attempt to establish guilt by association.”