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Bryan Singer fired from Queen biopic

Los Angeles — Director Bryan Singer has left the Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody in the middle of production.

A representative for Twentieth Century Fox Film Corp. said on Monday that Singer is no longer the director of the film.

The Hollywood Reporter reported that Singer failed to show up to the London set on a number of occasions prompting actor Rami Malek, who stars as Freddie Mercury in the film, to complain to the studio about Singer's unprofessionalism on behalf of the cast.

Studio representatives declined to comment on the circumstances surrounding Singer's departure or future plans for the film, which is currently slated for a December 2018 release.

Singer released a statement to The Hollywood Reporter saying that the studio did not allow him to attend to a gravely ill parent. 

"I wanted nothing more than to be able to finish this project and help honour 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," said the statement. 

According to the publication trouble on set began when Singer was MIA during production. Cinematographer Thomas Newton Sigel stepped in to direct during his absence.

Production came to a halt when Singer did not return to set after a Thanksgiving break. Following his no show the studio decided to end his contract.

With only two weeks of filming left a new director is expected to be named soon. 

Singer, 52, is best known for directing the X-Men films and The Usual Suspects. Representatives for Singer did not immediately respond to request for comment.

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