Bryan Singer has released a statement after the director was sacked from Twentieth Century Fox’s Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody last night (4 Dec).
Singer said the studio was “unwilling” to give him time off to care for a sick relative.
In the statement, released through his attorney, he said: “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.”
The director also played down rumours that he clashed with the film’s star Rami Malek. He said: “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. I wanted nothing more than to be able to finish this project and help honor the legacy of 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.”
Last night Fox announced in a statement that: “Bryan Singer is no longer the director of Bohemian Rhapsody.”
A source told the BBC that he was fired because of “a pattern of unreliable behaviour on the set”.
The project stars Malek as Freddie Mercury, alongside Aidan Gillen, Mike Myers, Joseph Mazzello and Tom Hollander. It is currently set for a December 2018 release.
Singer’s other films include X-Men: Apocalypse and The Usual Suspects.
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