Fox halted production Dec. 1, saying it was because of the "unexpected unavailability" of the helmer. 
 
 Bryan Singer has been fired from the movie Bohemian Rhapsody, 20th Century Fox has told The Hollywood Reporter. 
 
 “Bryan Singer is no longer the director of Bohemian Rhapsody," the studio said Monday in a statement. 
 
 The decision reflected an escalating clash between Singer and actor Rami Malek and was caused by the helmer being missing from the set, necessitating the Dec. 1 production shutdown of the film in which Malek stars as Freddie Mercury, frontman of the rock group Queen. The pic has been shooting in London. 
 
 In announcing the shutdown last week, producers Fox, New Regency and Graham King initially said filming was being suspended because of Singer's "unexpected unavailability." 
 
 Denying he acted unprofessionally, Singer claimed the studio refused to allow him to tend to "a gravely ill parent" as well as to his own health. “I wanted nothing more than to be able to finish this project and help honor the legacy of Freddie Mercury and Queen," he said in a statement, "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.” 
 
 Trouble began when Singer went missing during production on several occasions. His no-shows resulted in cinematographer Newton Thomas Sigel having to step in to helm some of the days while Singer was absent. 
 
 Tom Hollander, who plays Queen manager Jim Beach, also is said to have briefly quit the film because of Singer's behavior, but was persuaded to return, according to one source. 
 
 Malek complained to the studio, charging Singer with not being present on set, unreliability and unprofessionalism. 
 
 Singer had been warned before production began by both Fox Film chairman and CEO Stacey Snider and Fox Film vice chairman and president of production Emma Watts that they wouldn't tolerate any unprofessional behavior on his part. A representative from the Directors Guild of America also arrived on set to monitor the situation. 
 
 The growing tension led to a confrontation between Singer and Malek, which, while it did not become physical, did involve Singer throwing an object. Subsequently, however, the two are said to have settled their differences and filming was expected to resume. 
 
 But then Singer did not return to the set after the Thanksgiving break and is believed to have been in the U.S. for about the last 10 days, according to one source. In his absence, Sigel stepped in to helm several days of shooting before the production was shut down. Singer's prolonged absence was the final straw, and so the studio decided to terminate him under his pay-or-play contract. 
 
 According to another insider, Singer has claimed he is suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder because of the tensions on the set. 
 
 In his statement, Singer said, "“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.” 
 
 The studio, which has about two more weeks of principal photography remaining on the film, is expected to name a new director within the next few days. 
 
 Dec. 4, 7:10 p.m. Singer's statements added. 
 
 (Aaron Couch contributed to this report.) ||||| The filmmaker, who was helming 'Bohemian Rhapsody,' was terminated by the studio because of his absence from the set. 
 
 Bryan Singer has struck back against charges he was terminated for being unprofessional on the set of Bohemian Rhapsody, the Queen biopic he was directing for Fox and New Regency. Instead, the filmmaker says he was terminated because Fox would not let him deal with the grave illness of one of his parents. 
 
 In a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, Singer said, “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 on Monday terminated Singer after a series of confrontations with Rami Malek, who is playing Queen frontman Freddie Mercury. The director also was accused of acting unprofessionally in taking prolonged absences from the set. When production has halted Dec. 1, the studio cited the “unexpected unavailability” of the filmmaker. 
 
 Said Singer in the statement: “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." 
 
 Singer claims that he and Malek had patched up their differences after clashing. 
 
 “Rumors that my unexpected departure from the film was sparked by a dispute I had with Rami Malek are not true," said the director. "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." ||||| Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Bryan Singer's past directing credits include The Usual Suspects and Superman Returns 
 
 The director of the new Freddie Mercury biopic, Bohemian Rhapsody, has been fired due to "unreliable behaviour". 
 
 In a statement, Twentieth Century Fox said Bryan Singer was no longer the director of the film. 
 
 A source told the BBC the main reason for the firing was "a pattern of unreliable behaviour on the set". 
 
 But Singer said his firing came while he was ill and that the studio was "unwilling to accommodate" him during his illness. 
 
 The Hollywood Reporter reported on Monday that Singer had clashed with lead actor Rami Malek and failed to show up for filming on multiple occasions. 
 
 The studio had earlier said production had been suspended so Singer could deal with "a personal health matter". 
 
 In a statement issued through his lawyer to the BBC, Singer - the director of The Usual Suspects, four X-Men movies and Superman Returns - said he was disappointed not to be able to finish the film, "a passion project of mine". 
 
 Image copyright PA Image caption Rami Malek has so far made no public comments on the latest developments 
 
 "With fewer than three weeks to shoot remaining, I asked Fox for some time off so I could return to the US to deal with pressing health matters concerning one of my parents," he said. 
 
 "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." 
 
 He added that rumours of clashes with Malek, the star of the Mr Robot TV series, were 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," he said. 
 
 Filming has been taking place in the UK, with Ben Hardy, Joe Mazzello and Gwilym Lee starring as Queen's other members. 
 
 The movie is still expected to be released in December 2018 as planned. 
 
 As well as directing, Singer is listed as a co-producer, alongside Queen's Brian May and Roger Taylor, among others. 
 
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– Bryan Singer, the director who faced allegations of sexual assault before the dawn of the #metoo movement, has been fired from Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody. In announcing the dismissal Monday, 20th Century Fox blamed the "unexpected unavailability" of Singer, noting production had come to a halt on Dec. 1. Sources tell the Hollywood Reporter that Singer was absent from the London set several times prior to December, leading actor Tom Hollander to temporarily quit. There was also reportedly an altercation between Singer and Rami Malek, who plays Queen frontman Freddie Mercury, in which Singer is said to have thrown an object. But sources say the dispute had been resolved and Hollander had agreed to resume his role as Queen manager Jim Beach when Singer failed to return to set after the Thanksgiving break. Singer says there was a very good reason he didn't return: he was caring for an ailing parent in the US. "I asked Fox for some time off ... to deal with pressing health matters concerning one of my parents ... which ultimately took a serious toll on my own health," Singer said in a statement. "Unfortunately, the studio was unwilling to accommodate me and terminated my services." He also confirms he had "creative differences" with Malek but the pair "put those differences behind us and continued to work on the film together until just prior to Thanksgiving." With only two weeks left of filming, 20th Century Fox says it will name a new director to the film, which will keep its December 2018 release date, per the BBC.