Twentieth Century Fox has rehired Dexter Fletcher to replace Bryan Singer as director of “Bohemian Rhapsody,” a biopic on the life of Queen frontman Freddie Mercury.
The film was nearly finished when Singer was fired and Fletcher, who was originally tapped to direct the film in 2014 but left the project over creative differences, was rehired, according to The Wrap.
The move was announced Monday, with sources citing excessive absences and lateness as well as conflicts with the film’s star Rami Malek, The Wrap reported.
Singer denied the reports and said through a lawyer that he had asked for time off to take care of his sick mother, an ongoing situation that also had affected his own health.
According to Deadline, Singer did not return from Thanksgiving break and was not reachable for three days.
“I needed to temporarily put my health, and the health of my loved ones first,” Singer said in a statement, The Wrap reported.
The film will resume production next week under Fletcher, with about two weeks of shooting left unless Fletcher decides to do reshoots, Deadline reported. Fletcher also will oversee post-production for the film, which is supposed to release in December 2018.
The movie also stars Mike Myers, “Game of Thrones” star Aidan Gillen, and “Sing Street”’s Lucy Boynton.
Fletcher previously directed “Eddie the Eagle” and “Wild Bill.”
It is unknown whether Fletcher or Singer will be listed as the director of the movie in the credits, Deadline reported.
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