In what some would say is an unsurprising development, The British Academy has moved to suspend Bryan Singer's BAFTA nomination for his musically-charged Queen biopic BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY. As the story goes, the film institution called Singer's eligibility into question following new allegations that he engaged in sexual misconduct with underage boys.
“In light of recent very serious allegations, BAFTA has informed Bryan Singer that his nomination for ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ has been suspended, effective immediately,” BAFTA said in a statement.
“BAFTA considers the alleged behavior completely unacceptable and incompatible with its values,” the organization added. “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.”
Before striking Singer's name from the list of those up for BAFTA's special honors, BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY had received a total of seven nominations for its excellence in film. However, it's to be noted that because voting had been closed in the U.K. before BAFTA released their statement, BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY is still up for awards in the outstanding British film and other categories. BAFTA will continue to monitor Singer's situation carefully leading up to the event.
In other Singer-related news, BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY has recently lost its GLAAD Media Awards nomination as a result of Singer's alleged misconduct. Additionally, Singer remains the director of Millennium Films' upcoming RED SONJA feature, as was confirmed by Millennium's CEO and RED SONJA producer Avi Lerner:
"I continue to be in development for Red Sonja and Bryan Singer continues to be attached," said Lerner. "The over $800 million Bohemian Rhapsody has grossed, making it the highest grossing drama in film history, is testament to his remarkable vision and acumen. I know the difference between agenda driven fake news and reality, and I am very comfortable with this decision. In America people are innocent until proven otherwise." It's also been reported that Singer stands to make an absurd amount of scratch from RED SONJA, as Millennium Films are willing to pay Singer $10 million provided that certain box-office milestones are met.
What say you about Singer and BAFTA's motion to remove him from their list of nominees?