Actor and director Dexter Fletcher replaced Bryan singer on fox films upcoming biopic “Bohemian Rhapsody,” on British singer, songwriter and lead vocalist of Queen Freddie Mercury.
With this announcement on Wednesday fox declared the reopening of the production from next week in London.
Dexter Fletcher also directed “Eddie the Eagle” which was nominated for Teen Choice Award , and Empire Award for Best British which was also a production of Fox. He also appeared in “Kick-Ass,” “Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels”. Though he doesn’t have any big box-office movies like Singer who previously directed X-Men series and “Superman Returns.”
Fox didn’t detailed anything on Singer, while sources confirmed it was due to his inability to show up during production.
Singer was also reported to have issues on set with Netflix Tv show “Mr. Robot” star Rami Malek, who plays the lead role as Freddie Mercury in this movie.
Malek charged singer with unreliability and unprofessional behavior. The growing tension led to a confrontation between Singer and Malek, which involved Singer throwing an object.
Cinematographer Thomas Newton Sigel had to step in to direct on some of the days while Singer was missing. Actor Tom Hollander, who plays Jim Beach, left the film due to Singer’s behavior, but was later persuaded to return.
Singer had been warned before production began by Fox that they wouldn't tolerate any unprofessional behavior on his part.
A representative from the Directors Guild of America was on set to monitor the situation. However, Singer did not return to the set after the Thanksgiving break.
Previously Fox temporarily halted production on “Bohemian Rhapsody” due to “the unexpected unavailability of Bryan Singer.” on December. The studio decided to terminate him under his pay-or-play contract with two weeks of shooting remaining.
Regarding these accusations several hours after his termination, Singer accused Fox of refusing to give him time off to deal with health issues of one of his parents. The director made the statement Monday evening through his attorney Andrew B. Brettler.
“’Bohemian Rhapsody’ is a passion project of mine,” Singer said.
“With fewer than three weeks to shoot remaining (scenes), 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.”
Singer dispelled rumors that his departure was sparked by a dispute with Malek, saying,
“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.”
According to another source, Singer has claimed he is suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder because of the tensions on the set.
A Fox representative confirmed that Singer’s production company Bad Hat Harry, is leaving the Twentieth Century Fox lot. The director’s three-year first look deal with the studio ended 31st Oct and was not renewed. Singer was permitted to remain on the lot while he finished “Bohemian Rhapsody” but that arrangement fell apart Monday with his termination.
“Bohemian Rhapsody” is set to hit the theaters on Dec. 25, 2018, despite delays due to Singer’s unavailability.
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