In the past week and a half Bryan Singer has gone from preparing for the release of X-Men: Days Of Future Past to being embroiled in allegations that he raped Michael F. Egan when he was 17-years-old in 1999. While there have been several strong denials, these have come through his lawyer.

Now Singer himself has released a statement, where he both denies the allegations and officially bows out of publicity for the X-Men movies.

He says: ‘The allegations against me are outrageous, vicious and completely false. I do not want these fictitious claims to divert ANY attention from X-Men: Days of Future Past. This fantastic film is a labor of love and one of the greatest experiences of my career. So, out of respect to all of the extraordinary contributions from the incredibly talented actors and crew involved, I’ve decided not to participate in the upcoming media events for the film. However, I promise when this situation is over, the facts will show this to be the sick twisted shake down it is. I want to thank fans, friends and family for all their amazing and overwhelming support.”

Singer’s lawyer, Marty Singer, has said he has ‘at least 100 witnesses [who] could testify Singer was on set and not in Hawaii during the times he is accused of sexual abuse’. It’s believed Singer in in the process of providing the courts with documentation showing he was in Vancouver filming the first X-Men film when the assaults are supposed to have taken place.

Egan sued in Hawaii due to the fact the statute of limitations had been temporarily extended there. While he says most of the abuse took place in California, he is no longer able to sue there. However he claims several rapes and other abuse took place in Hawaii, involving Singer and three other entertainment figures whom he has also sued.

In related news, Dustin Lance Black has denied reports that he would be called as a character witness for Bryan Singer. However he could still become involved in the case, as Egan’s lawyer has said, “I intend to take ­depositions [statements] of all individuals who may have relevant information, including Singer’s friends.” That could include Black, although there’s been no suggestion the writer knows anything about the allegations.

Buzzfeed meanwhile reports that Mark Collins-Rector, a convicted sex offender who co-owned the properties where the abuse Egan claims took place, has gone missing and hasn’t been seen since 2007. In 2000 Collins-Rector was convicted of transporting minors across state lines for the purpose of having sex with them, and was also involved in several civil lawsuits surrounding allegations of underage sex. He is not named as a defendant in the current lawsuits, although it’s believed Egan took legal action against Collins-Rector previously without mentioning Singer’s name.