Deron Generally
Deron GenerallyThe biopic about the life of dynamic Queen frontman Freddie Mercury has had its issues getting to the screen and it looks like those issue are continuing.
According to multiple sources, including Variety and The Hollywood Reporter, the Freddie Mercury biopic Bohemian Rhapsody has been put on hold due to the absence of director Bryan Singer (X-Men: Apocalypse). Singer was expected to come back to the production after the Thanksgiving break and producers of the film are reportedly talking about replacing him.
According to the director’s rep, Singer failed to return due to “a personal health matter concerning Bryan and his family.”
Rumors have been circulating recently about other issues with the production including Singer being late to shoot, not showing up at all and clashing with the film’s star Rami Malek. Hopefully, the production will resume soon and fans will be able to see Malek star as the Queen frontman when Bohemian Rhapsody hits theaters December 25, 2018.
(Update) As I was preparing this article, The Hollywood Reporter received exclusive news from 20th Century Fox that Bryan Singer has been fired from directing Bohemian Rhapsody. According to a statement from Fox; “Bryan Singer is no longer the director of Bohemian Rhapsody,” read the statement. The THR article goes on to state that the director’s clashes with the film’s star Rami Malek are what necessitated the split. Apparently, one of the films stars Tom Hollander left the film briefly after clashing with Singer, but was persuaded to return.
Other stories detail how Malek made several complaints about Singer being unprofessional, unreliable and not present. This prompted the Director’s Guild of America to send someone to the set to monitor things. Singer left the production before the holiday break after getting into a heated argument with Malek, which included throwing an object at the actor, but was expected to return. With Singer’s continued absence, this was the final straw for the studio and they fired him. A new director is expected to be announced soon with a little over two more weeks of principal photography remaining on the film.
