Following the firing of director Bryan Singer from 20th Century Fox’s Queen biopic, Bohemian Rhapsody, the studio has moved quickly to find a replacement.
With little production remaining – reportedly around two weeks – there was a possibility the studio would simply turn to cinematographer Newton Thomas Sigel, who had stepped in when Singer was absent, but Fox has gone in a different direction.
Dexter Fletcher (Eddie The Eagle) has been hired to take over directorial duties, starting next week. As mentioned, there’s only around two weeks left of production, but that could be extended if Fletcher’s deal allows for reshoots of existing material. Fletcher will also oversee the post-production process with Fox still aiming for their Christmas Day 2018 release date.
The question still remains as to who will be credited as the director of the film, which will be a decision for the guild to make. Like Ron Howard earlier in the year, who stepped into the Han Solo spinoff after the firing of directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller, Fletcher is a safe choice likely expected to just steer the ship to safety.
This will be good practice for him, as Fletcher is also set to direct a big-name music biopic himself – of singer Elton John – which will likely be the project he’ll pursue after this.
Details of the fallout between Fox and Singer remain murky, with the director claiming that Fox didn’t allow him to care for an ailing parent while Fox had reportedly issued a one-strike agreement with Singer before production began. The behind the scenes issues will likely emerge eventually, but for now, focus shifts back to production of the film.
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