Director Bryan Singer fired from Queen Biopic

CAIRO – 6 December 2017: Director Bryan Singer has been fired from the upcoming “Queen” biopic “Bohemian Rhapsody” following repeated on-set mishaps such as not reporting for work and alleged clashes with lead star Rami Malek.

The news comes from a statement by 20th Century Fox released to the Hollywood Reporter on Monday, which follows an announcement on December 1, which stated that the production of the film in London would be temporarily shut down due to Singer’s absence.

Singer’s frequent no-shows resulted in cinematographer Thomas Newton Sigel having to temporarily take the lead on the project. Actor Tom Hollander, who portrays Queen’s manager Jim Beach, reportedly quit the film over Singer’s unprofessionalism but had since returned to his role. Hollander wasn’t the only cast member to voice their displeasure; Malek, who portrays the band’s lead member

Freddie Mercury

, lost patience with Singer’s absences and sent a complaint to the studio before confronting Singer directly.

It was reported that Singer threw an object at Malek. Despite the two resolving their dispute, Singer did not return to set following the incident.

In his own statement, Singer said that, “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.”

However, Singer never returned to set following the Thanksgiving break despite repeated warnings. He had reportedly continued to stay in the U.S. for ten days beyond the allotted holiday, which was the final straw for 20th Century Fox and resulted in his termination. In his statement, Singer claimed that he was dealing with a sick parent. This isn’t the first time the director has failed to show up on set, with similar incidents reported during shooting for “X-Men: Apocalypse” and “Superman Returns”.

A new director for the project is expected to be named within the week.