Production on Bryan Singer's Queen biopic, BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY, was temporarily halted by Twentieth Century Fox on Friday due to the "unexpected unavailability" of Singer, whose representative claimed that his absence stemmed from "a personal health matter concerning Bryan and his family." However, due to his confrontations with the cast, including star Rami Malek, it was suggested that Fox was considering replacing Bryan Singer, and the studio fired him yesterday due to his unprofessional behavior.
Bryan Singer has responded to his dismissal in a statement, claiming that Twentieth Century Fox refused to allow him time off to care for a sick family member.
Bohemian Rhapsody is a passion project of mine. 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, 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. 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. I wanted nothing more than to be able to finish this project and help honor 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.
When it was first reported that Bryan Singer was a no-show on the BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY set, THR noted that the director had momentarily vanished from the sets of SUPERMAN RETURNS and X-MEN: APOCALYPSE as well, which led to the studio warning Singer before he began production on BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY that they "wouldn’t tolerate any unprofessional behavior on his part." The offices for Bryan Singer's production company, Bad Hat Harry, are currently packing up and will soon depart the Fox lot. Singer had a three-year first look deal with the studio which ended on October 31st and was not renewed, but he was allowed to remain while finishing BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY. As for who will replace Singer during the final weeks of production, that hasn't yet been announced, but it's possible that cinematographer Thomas Newton Sigel, who stepped in to direct on days when Singer was absent, will bring the film across the finish line. Of course, that depends on just how much work remains to be done.
BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY is still currently slated for a December 25, 2018 release.