Bryan Singer

After making one of the most talked-about films of the 1990s, "The Usual Suspects" (1995), director Bryan Singer was tagged as being one of the more talented filmmakers of his generation. The surprise success of the film - as well as its submergence into the cultural zeitgeist - gave Singer the proverbial keys to the kingdom, allowing him unfettered access to some of Hollywood's biggest blockbusters. Though he followed "The Usual Suspects" with the lesser appreciated "Apt Pupil" (1998), Singer directed what many considered to be two of the better comic book adaptations of recent memory - "X-Men" (2000) and "X2: X-Men United" (2003), confirming that his previous success was no fleeting matter. Because both films garnered considerable critical acclaim and were big hits at the box office, he was a natural fit to make "Superman Returns" (2006), a reboot of the once popular, but fallen franchise, which propelled Singer into the upper tier of working directors, as well as making him a popular figure among comic book and science fiction aficionados. Singer went on to direct other high-profile projects, including "Valkyrie" (2008) and "X-Men: Days of Future Past" (2014), the biggest grossing film of Singer's career. Singer was scheduled to direct "Bohemian Rhapsody," a biopic of Queen lead singer Freddie Mercury (played by Rami Malek), but after completing most of the movie, Fox removed him from the project several weeks before production was to end as long-rumored allegations of sexual assault came back to the forefront. The project's future was in flux until the studio announced that director Dexter Fletcher would be taking over in Singer's place.