Bryan Singer Fired From Freddie Mercury Biopic After On-Set Clashes

That escalated quickly. Just a few days after reports surfaced that Bryan Singer had not returned to the set of Freddie Mercury/Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody, there has been an update: Singer was fired from the film on Monday.

Studio 20th Century Fox made the announcement, confirming that Singer had been terminated under his pay-or-play contract. The move comes after reported clashes between Singer and members of his cast, notably star Rami Malek – playing Mercury – and Tom Hollander, who apparently quit the film over the director's behaviour but has since returned. And Singer had been absent several times from the set, including in one instance where cinematographer Thomas Newton Sigel stepped in to handle the scenes.

Singer has now offered his version of events to The Hollywood Reporter{ =nofollow}. "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... Rumours 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."

When the director failed to return to the set, executives decided to fire him, especially since he'd the studio says he'd been given at least one warning to change his behaviour on set. Now the search is on for a new director, with the studio hoping to resume filming as soon as possible, particularly with a Christmas 2018 release date still on the books. Cue someone firing up Another One Bites The Dust...

Bryan Singer's Absence Halts Shooting On Bohemian Rhapsody

First Look At Rami Malek As Freddie Mercury In Bohemian Rhapsody

Bohemian Rhapsody: On Set With Bryan Singer's Freddie Mercury Biopic