Bryan Singer Fired From ‘Bohemian Rhapsody,’ Claims Fox Canned Him For Taking Time Off To Care For Ill Parent
Bryan Singer is speaking out on his sudden firing from Bohemian Rhapsody. The controversial director was canned by Fox during the final weeks of filming for the Freddie Mercury biopic amid rumors of tensions between him and star Rami Malek. Now, Singer says stories of on-set chaos have been exaggerated and that he was actually let go from the project over a family member’s serious health issue.
Twentieth Century Fox halted production of Bohemian Rhapsody in London last week when Singer failed to return to the set after the Thanksgiving break. Days later, the studio announced that Singer would no longer be the director of the long-awaited film about the Queen frontman. According to the Hollywood Reporter, Singer was involved in on-set clashes with Malek as well as actor Tom Hollander, who plays Queen manager Jim Beach in the film.
But Singer denies any damaging on-set chaos, telling THR he was fired from Bohemian Rhapsody because the studio refused to allow him to take care of “a gravely ill parent.” Bryan Singer claims his family member’s ailment also took a toll on his own health.
“Bohemian Rhapsody is a passion project of mine,” Singer said in a statement to THR.
“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.”
Bryan Singer went on to reveal that the stress of the experience has affected his own health and that the events leading to his termination from Bohemian Rhapsody were beyond his control.
“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.”
Singer also vehemently denied he was fired due to his on-set clashes with Malek, admitting that while he did have creative differences with the actor on set, but they successfully put those differences behind them and continued to work on the film together until the Thanksgiving break.
According to THR’s report, Bryan Singer was unreliable and unprofessional throughout the shooting of Bohemian Rhapsody, and growing tensions between Singer and Malek escalated to the point that the director once allegedly threw an object at the star. But the two reportedly settled their beef before Bryan’s firing. Bryan Singer then disappeared from the film after Thanksgiving on an extended trek to the United States. An insider says Bryan claimed he is suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder because of the tensions on the Bohemian Rhapsody set.
Bryan Singer has a history of disappearing from his movie sets. The director previously vanished during the shooting of the films X-Men: Apocalypse and Superman Returns. But this time, Singer’s production studio Bad Hat Harry is also doing a disappearing act. Bryan Singer’s production company has vacated its offices on the lot of Twentieth Century Fox. In addition, the director has deleted his Twitter account, although his Instagram remains standing.
Just ahead of his firing from Bohemian Rhapsody, Bryan Singer’s name surfaced in the wake of the Hollywood sex scandals. Singer previously denied allegations that he sexually assaulted a minor in 1999.
Meanwhile, Twitter users had plenty to say about Bryan Singer’s sudden disappearance and subsequent firing from the Bohemian Rhapsody movie.
#BryanSinger ill, then fired. Funny when u know the real reason. Run and hide… Allegations won't go away.
— Sun ?? ??? ?????? ? (@1Afshin) December 5, 2017
Take a look at the video below for a first look at Bohemian Rhapsody.
Bohemian Rhapsody has an expected release date of December 25, 2018.
