The Hollywood Reporter brings word that 20th Century Fox has fired Bryan Singer from the Bohemian Rhapsody film.
The outlet reports there were was “a growing clash” between Singer and Emmy winner Rami Malek, the star of the film, which was the result of Singer’s absence from some days of filming on the movie. They also note that cinematographer Thomas Newton Sigel had to step in and direct the film on the days that Singer was unexpectedly absent.
Singer reportedly failed to return to the set after their Thanksgiving holiday break, which resulted in the production suspension and now his termination by Fox. The outlet says an insider claims Singer is “suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder because of the tensions on the set.”
Only two weeks remain on the schedule for principal photography of the film, but 20th Century Fox will likely name a new director in the coming days. It was previously announced that Singer’s absence and the production halt wouldn’t change the film’s December 2018 release date, but now that remains to be seen.
Singer has released a statement to Deadline about his firing:
“Bohemian Rhapsody is a passion project of mine. With fewer than three weeks to shoot remaining, I asked Fox for some time off so I could return to the U.S. to deal with pressing health matters concerning one of my parents. This was a very taxing experience, which ultimately took a serious toll on my own health. Unfortunately, the studio was unwilling to accommodate me and terminated my services. This was not my decision and it was beyond my control. Rumors that my unexpected departure from the film was sparked by a dispute I had with Rami Malek are not true. While, at times, we did have creative differences on set, Rami and I successfully put those differences behind us and continued to work on the film together until just prior to Thanksgiving. I wanted nothing more than to be able to finish this project and help honor the legacy of Freddie Mercury and Queen, but Fox would not permit me to do so because I needed to temporarily put my health, and the health of my loved ones, first.”
Bohemian Rhapsody, the most recent draft of which hails from Academy Award-nominated scribe Anthony McCarten (The Theory of Everything), will tell the story of Mercury, played by Rami Malek (Mr. Robot) and his iconic rock band, Queen. It hasn’t been specified exactly how much of Queen’s history will appear in Bohemian Rhapsody and there’s a good two decades between the band forming and Mercury’s tragic death in 1991.
In addition to Malek, the Queen band members will be played by Joe Mazzello, Ben Hardy, and Gwilym Lee.
Bohemian Rhapsody is set to arrive in theaters on Christmas Day in 2018.
