Fox halted production Dec. 1, saying it was because of the "unexpected unavailability" of the helmer.

Bryan Singer has been fired from the movie Bohemian Rhapsody, 20th Century Fox has told The Hollywood Reporter. “Bryan Singer is no longer the director of Bohemian Rhapsody," the studio said Monday in a statement. The decision reflected an escalating clash between Singer and actor Rami Malek and was caused by the helmer being missing from the set, necessitating the Dec. 1 production shutdown of the film in which Malek stars as Freddie Mercury, frontman of the rock group Queen. The pic has been shooting in London.

In announcing the shutdown last week, producers Fox, New Regency and Graham King initially said filming was being suspended because of Singer's "unexpected unavailability." Denying he acted unprofessionally, Singer claimed the studio refused to allow him to tend to "a gravely ill parent" as well as to his own health. “I wanted nothing more than to be able to finish this project and help honor the legacy of Freddie Mercury and Queen," he said in a statement, "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.” Trouble began when Singer went missing during production on several occasions. His no-shows resulted in cinematographer Newton Thomas Sigel having to step in to helm some of the days while Singer was absent.