As various cases of sexual abuse in Hollywood come to light, many people are looking back to previous scandals and controversial individuals in the industry. Bryan Singer is just one of them. It's been a few years since the director, responsible for the majority of the 'X-Men' saga, was accused of abusing a 17 year old. Singer denied all of the claims. However, when the Harvey Weinstein situation blew up on Twitter, previously buried stories resurfaced, like that of Singer. The director eventually ended up deactivating his account. Many then looked to 'Bohemian Rhapsody', Singer's current project, that's already suffered it's first major setback: a halt in production following the director's sudden disappearance.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Fox have taken the decision to dismiss Bryan Singer as director from the biopic that is due to focus on Freddie Mercury. The studio released a very simple statement: "Bryan Singer is no longer the director of Bohemian Rhapsody". THR has managed to further investigate the situation however, and revealed that Singer had in fact been absent from set for a number of days, leaving director of photography, Thomas Newton Sigel to step in. Rami Malek, who'll play Freddie Mercury in the film is supposedly fed up with Singer's lack of professionalism and even confronted the latter over his attitude in the past. Whilst the argument wasn't physical, it didn't end well, with Singer supposedly having thrown something at the actor. It is believed the two made up shorty after, but Singer has reportedly been absent ever since Thanksgiving break.
Bryan Singer's version of events
Shortly after Fox released their statement, Singer released one of his own, accusing 20th Century Fox of not allowing him the time off to look after one of his "gravely ill" parents. On top of denying the altercation with Rami Malek, here's what else singer had to say:
"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. 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".
Despite his lengthy defence, Fox has continued to cut ties with the director, even going as far as to evict Singer's production company BadHatHarry from their offices at the studio. Back in October, Fox had already decided to end their first look deal with the director, but opted to keep his offices under their wing. However, it appears as though Singer's behaviour, already seen on the set of 'X-Men Apocalypse', and his absence on 'Bohemian Rhapsody' are the straws that broke the camels back, for Fox have now dismissed him for good. 'Bohemian Rhapsody' is due to premiere on 25th December 2018, and for now anyway, that date hasn't changed. There are only three more weeks of filming left in London, and Fox are yet to name a replacement director.
