Bafta removes Bryan Singer from awards citation after abuse allegations
Bafta has removed Bryan Singer from its nominations ahead of its film awards ceremony on Sunday.
Singer, the sole credited director of Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody, had been named along with the film’s producer Graham King and writer Anthony McCarten for the film’s nomination in the outstanding British film category.
In a statement on its website, Bafta said: “In light of recent very serious allegations, Bafta has informed Bryan Singer that his nomination for Bohemian Rhapsody has been suspended, effective immediately”.
The organisation added: “Bafta considers the alleged behaviour completely unacceptable and incompatible with its values. This has led to Mr Singer’s suspended nomination. Bafta notes Mr Singer’s denial of the allegations. The suspension of his nomination will therefore remain in place until the outcome of the allegations has been resolved.”
Bafta confirmed that all Bohemian Rhapsody’s other nominations remain standing: it is up for seven in total, including best actor for Rami Malek and best cinematography. Malek recently said that working with Singer on the film was “not pleasant”.
In January, the Atlantic magazine published an article containing a number of sexual misconduct allegations against Singer, including claims of underage sex. Singer denied the allegations, saying the article was a “homophobic smear piece”. In October, Singer posted a message on social media in anticipation of the article, which had then been due to be published in Esquire magazine, accusing journalists of “a reckless disregard for the truth, making assumptions that are fictional and irresponsible.”
In 2017, Singer denied accusations by Cesar Sanchez-Guzman, who had alleged that, as a 17-year-old in 2003, he was sexually assaulted by Singer on a yacht.
Singer was fired from Bohemian Rhapsody before filming ended, and was replaced by Dexter Fletcher; however Singer remains the sole credited director owing to union regulations. Singer has consistently denied wrongdoing, and was recently reported to have been hired to direct a remake of the 1980s action flick Red Sonja. He did not attend the Golden Globe awards, where Bohemian Rhapsody won best film (drama) and best actor (drama) for Malek, but posted a now-deleted thank you note on social media.
The Bafta film awards take place on Sunday 10 February.