Director Singer gets boot from Queen biopic

Disappearances, fighting with star cited

Director Bryan Singer has been fired from the Freddie Mercury biopic Bohemian Rhapsody by 20th Century Fox, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Singer had been repeatedly missing from the London set for days at a time, and had begun to clash with star Rami Malek, who plays Mercury. The actor made an official complaint to the studio, commenting on Singer’s “not being present on set, unreliability and unprofessionalism.” Malek’s co-star Tom Hollander reportedly even quit the movie at one time due to Singer’s behaviour, but was persuaded to return.

Production was shut down on Dec. 1 for these reasons, though at the time Fox released a statement citing Singer’s “unexpected unavailability.” Due to his repeated absences, cinematographer Thomas Newton Sigel was forced to step in for the director for days at a time, while a representative from the Directors Guild of America was available on set to supervise and Singer was issued a warning by the studio.

According to THR, tension grew so much that at one point Singer and Malek engaged in a “confrontation.” It did not get physical, but Singer did reportedly throw an object. Although the two made up and filming was expected to continue afterward, Singer hasn’t returned to the set since. This was the last straw for the studio, which finally decided to let Singer go early this week. The director has had a history of disappearing from film sets, including X-Men: Apocalypse and Superman Returns, and was rumoured to have fought with Halle Berry on X2.

In a statement, Singer claimed to be dealing with a sick parent: “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, Rami Malek as Freddie Mercury on the set of Bohemian Rhapsody. Director Bryan Singer has been fired. 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.

“Rumours 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 honour 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.”

Variety is also reporting that the director is claiming to be suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder from the chaotic atmosphere on set.

The studio is expected to announce a replacement director later this week.