Why Bryan Singer Was Basically Disowned By Bohemian Rhapsody Cast And Crew
He’s got his credits mention, and that’s already more than enough.
While the Internet is full of drama surrounding the work ethic, or lack thereof, of some actors and singers, there are also some directors who have been involved in nasty conflicts on the set. Whether it is a lack of discipline, a personal dislike, or a scheduling conflict, it needs to be resolved professionally before it affects the quality of the film.
It's fair to assume that the situation that unfolded during the production of 2018's Bohemian Rhapsody is one of the rare examples of the filmmakers doing less work than the actors themselves.
The news that Bryan Singer was leaving the production of the biopic of one of the greatest musicians of all time was met with both confusion and devastation. While Freddie Mercury fans were disappointed that the movie was facing some creative problems, other movie lovers were glued to the scandalous reports as the drama unfolded.
It turns out that the director was fired from the Bohemian Rhapsody set for constantly slacking off, causing the production to go slower than expected. Actor Rami Malek, who played Freddie Mercury himself, reportedly complained to the studio about Singer's unprofessionalism on behalf of the entire cast.
Singer, for his part, denied the allegations of unprofessionalism in his statement to The Hollywood Reporter, where he accused FOX of being inconsiderate of his personal matter, which took a real toll on his mental health:
“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. <...> 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 said.
Whether this is the case or not is hard to prove, but the actions of the cast and crew say more than any statement they could make. With the directing role going to Dexter Fletcher, Singer was completely left out of all the events surrounding the movie and wasn't even mentioned in any of the acceptance speeches for the awards the movie received.
If you want to see how the movie turned out despite the sudden change in director, you can stream Bohemian Rhapsody on Netflix, Hulu, or Disney Plus.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter