Director Bryan Singer has been fired from “Bohemian Rhapsody,” the Freddie Mercury bio-pic, after not showing up on set for at least 10 days.
The Hollywood Reporter said that 20th Century Fox canned the “X-Men” director Monday after the film was temporarily shut down Friday.
Unnamed sources told the news site that Singer had clashed with actor Rami Malek, who is playing Mercury, and even once threw an object at him.
Singer has reportedly been absent on several occasions, requiring cinematographer Thomas Newton Sigel to step in and direct parts of the film.
The studio’s only details came in the form of a brief statement to Deadline: “Bryan Singer is no longer the director of ′Bohemian Rhapsody,’” was the studio’s official statement Monday.
The Hollywood Reporter said that Singer had been warned before production began by two top Fox Film executives, CEO Stacey Snider and President of Production Emma Watts, not to engage in any unprofessional behavior.
Singer has not returned to the set since the film had a break for Thanksgiving. According to a representative, the absence is due to “a personal health matter concerning Bryan and his family.”
Singer later issued a statement saying that Fox would not give him time off to return to the U.S. to take care of “pressing health matters concerning one of my parents,” according to The Hollywood Reporter.
However, an insider told The Hollywood Reporter that Singer had claimed he was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder caused by tensions on the set.
“Bohemian Rhapsody” reportedly has two weeks of principal photography left. Another director will be hired to finish the film.
Singer has been accused in the past of misconduct and erratic behavior, which apparently influenced the added attention to behavioral issues involving his hiring for the Freddie Mercury film.
In 2014, an anonymous British man accused the filmmaker and an entertainment executive of sexually abusing him as a minor. Those allegations are why University of Southern California student Emily Halaka started a Change.org petition last month asking that Singer’s name be removed from the USC School of Cinematic Arts. The petition alleges that Singer has been “accused multiple times of sexual harassment, assault and pedophilia.”
This article has been updated with a new statement by Bryan Singer.