British filmmaker Dexter Fletcher has been hired to replace ousted director Bryan Singer for the final few weeks of production on Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody, starring Mr Robot actor Rami Malek as iconic frontman Freddie Mercury.
Deadline is reporting that Fox has hired Fletcher, best known for Eddie the Eagle and Proclaimers musical Sunshine on Leith, to shepherd the final two weeks of production on the film, as well as potential reshoots.
The director was originally attached to the project back in 2013, when Ben Whishaw was set to portray Mercury.
It is not known whether Fletcher will get a directing credit on the finished film, with the final decision down to the DGA, though the release date of December 2018 remains in place.
SEE ALSO: Bryan Singer shares new image of Rami Malek as Freddie Mercury from Bohemian Rhapsody
Singer was fired from his position on Bohemian Rhapsody at the beginning of the week, after production was halted over the weekend.
The Deadline report claims Singer was sacked due to a pattern of unreliability, including him disappearing for three days after the Thanksgiving break and clashing with Malek. Singer’s reps deny much of this narrative.
Singer released a lengthy statement earlier this week, claiming Fox was “unwilling to accommodate” his needs.
He 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.”
Bohemian Rhapsody will chart the rise of the British rock band Queen through to their iconic Live Aid performance in 1985. It is set for release on December 25th 2018 in the States and December 28th 2018 in the UK and features a cast that includes Rami Malek as Freddie Mercury, Ben Hardy as Roger Taylor, Gwilym Lee as Brian May, Joe Mazzello as John Deacon, Lucy Boynton as Mary Austin, Aaron McCusker as Jim Hutton, Aidan Gillen as John Reid, Tom Hollander as Jim Beach, Allen Leech as Paul Prenter and Mike Myers in an as-yet-unrevealed role.