So, what exactly has been going on during the production of the Queen biopic “Bohemian Rhapsody“? So far, we’ve heard one version of events, where Bryan Singer was reportedly unreliable and difficult, vanished after the Thanksgiving break, clashed with star Rami Malek, and eventually, fired for his behavior. Now, the director is telling his side of the story, and while he acknowledges a rift with Malek, he says it’s the studio who are being unreasonable.
Singer has issued a statement, saying that he’s been dealing with the illness of one of his parents, and that Fox wouldn’t budge when he requested some time off to deal with the matter, which was affecting his own health. Here’s what he had to say:
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. 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.
Fox has yet to respond to the statement, but the disagreement seems to be over a bit more than sick days. The offices for Singer’s production company Bad Hat Harry have been removed from the studio lot. The company’s contract with the studio had expired in October, but they were allowed to stay on during the filming of “Bohemian Rhapsody.” Now that Singer has been axed, little time is being wasted in making sure he doesn’t have another reason to be let past the Fox gate.
There are two weeks left of filming on “Bohemian Rhapsody,” and a new director is expected to be announced soon. Whatever the real story is behind Singer’s exit, it seems we’re just scratching the surface.
“Bohemian Rhapsody” is slated to open on December 25, 2018. [Buzzfeed/THR]