Over the weekend it was announced that production on the Freddie Mercury biopic Bohemian Rhapsody has been halted with two weeks of production remaining owing to the “unexpected availability” of Bryan Singer, who was said to be suffering “a personal health matter.”
Well, THR is reporting that 20th Century Fox has now fired Singer from the project, which “reflected an escalating clash between Singer and [Freddie Mercury] actor Rami Malek and was caused by Singer’s being missing from the set.”
Singer had apparently frequently been absent from the set, with cinematographer Thomas Newton Sigel having to step in to direct scenes, with Malek then complaining to the studio about Singer’s unreliability and unprofessionalism. Tom Hollander, who portrays Queen manager Jim Beach, is also said to have quit the film over Singer’s behaviour before being convinced to return.
Things are said to have reached a head with a confrontation between Singer and Malek, which saw Singer throwing an object. It was thought they had settled their differences, but Singer didn’t return to the set after a Thanksgiving break, leading to his termination. Singer has also reportedly claimed that he is suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder because of the on set tensions.
A new director is expected to be announced within the next few days.
Bohemian Rhapsody will chart the rise of the British rock band Queen through to their iconic Live Aid performance in 1985. It is set for release on December 25th 2018 in the States and December 28th 2018 in the UK and features a cast that includes Rami Malek as Freddie Mercury, Ben Hardy as Roger Taylor, Gwilym Lee as Brian May, Joe Mazzello as John Deacon, Lucy Boynton as Mary Austin, Aaron McCusker as Jim Hutton, Aidan Gillen as John Reid, Tom Hollander as Jim Beach, Allen Leech as Paul Prenter and Mike Myers in an as-yet-unrevealed role.
Originally published December 4, 2017. Updated April 17, 2018.
