The director is still set to make a large sum from the Oscar-nominated picture, even after he was fired from the film.
Bryan Singer will still be receiving a hefty paycheck for his involvement in Bohemian Rhapsody.
While the director was fired from the Rami Malek-starring film, Singer remains the credited helmer and is expecting to earn over $40 million from the Oscar-nominated biopic, according to The Hollywood Reporter. ET has reached out to Fox for comment.
Sources tell the outlet that because of a "strong backend provision in his deal," Singer's paycheck will be a large sum. The former X-Men director was fired from the Freddie Mercury biopic with only two weeks left of shooting after not showing up to set. Dexter Fletcher was then hired to replace him and complete the picture.
Singer retained his director credit, yet, per THR, Fox is "exploring its legal options in terms of its financial obligation to Singer." To date, the award-winning film has earned $817 million worldwide, received five Academy Award nominations including Best Picture, won a Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture Drama and was given a slew of accolades and wins to its lead Malek.
However, because of Singer's involvement with Bohemian Rhapsody, and the new sexual assault and misconduct allegations that arose against him earlier this month, the film was removed from contention at the GLAAD Media Awards.
Last week, a new report by The Atlantic told the story of four men who claimed that the director either molested or had sex with them when they were teenagers in the late 1990s. The men talk about their allegations in detail, three of them asking for their identities to be concealed for privacy and fear of retaliation. The Atlantic says they've talked with more than 50 sources and identified certain details of their stories independently during a year-long investigation.
Singer has never been charged with a crime. In addition, his lawyer noted to the outlet "that Singer categorically denies ever having sex with, or a preference for, underage men."
In a statement to ET, Singer called the new report a "homophobic smear piece."
"The last time I posted about this subject, Esquire magazine was preparing to publish an article written by a homophobic journalist who has a bizarre obsession with me dating back to 1997," the statement read. "After careful fact-checking and, in consideration of the lack of credible sources, Esquire chose not to publish this piece of vendetta journalism. That didn't stop this writer from selling it to The Atlantic. It's sad that The Atlantic would stoop to this low level of journalistic integrity. Again, I am forced to reiterate that this story rehashes claims from bogus lawsuits filed by a disreputable cast of individuals willing to lie for money and attention. And it is no surprise that, with Bohemian Rhapsody being an award-winning hit, this homophobic smear piece has been conventionally timed to take advantage of its success."
Following the report, GLAAD pulled Bohemian Rhapsody out of contention for its annual Media Awards.
“In light of the latest allegations against director Bryan Singer, GLAAD has made the difficult decision to remove Bohemian Rhapsody from contention for a GLAAD Media Award in the Outstanding Film – Wide Release category this year," the LGBTQ organization tells ET in a statement. "This week’s story in The Atlantic documenting unspeakable harms endured by young men and teenage boys brought to light a reality that cannot be ignored or even tacitly rewarded.
For more on the accusations against Singer, watch below.
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