Following a tumultuous few months on set, Bryan Singer has been fired as director of the Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody. 20th Century Fox released an incredibly brief statement, simply confirming that Singer has been relieved of his duties on the film. "Bryan Singer is no longer the director of Bohemian Rhapsody," the statement read.
The firing brings a sense of relief to a set that had been reportedly bogged down by Singer's behavior. Singer and actor Rami Malek, who plays Queen frontman Freddie Mercury, were consistently at odds with one another. While their disagreements never led to a physical altercation, there was one instance where Singer threw an object at Malek. The two tried setting aside their differences to complete the film, but the actor still complained to the studio about Singer "not being present on set, unreliability and unprofessionalism," THR reports.
It is believed that Tom Hollander, who plays Queen manager Jim Beach, briefly quit the film because of Singer's behavior, but eventually returned to the production.
According to THR, Singer would constantly disappear from the set. His absences led to cinematographer Thomas Newton Sigel taking over as director before the studio shut down production on Dec. 1, citing Singer's "unexpected unavailability." The studio made the decision after Singer failed to return to the set after the Thanksgiving break.
Singer reportedly claims he's suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder stemming from his ordeals on set.
