There was already considerable unrest and a mounting backlash in the industry following Singer’s continuing attachment as director for the upcoming Red Sonja movie. As a wave of allegations involving years of alleged sexual abuse of young men and underage boys hit headlines, Singer is still lined up for his biggest ever fee, with industry reports he would receive $10million upfront to direct Red Sonja. That amount has now been dwarfed by the staggering rewards he is set to reap for Bohemian Rhapsody, even though he was fired from the project and the filmmakers have consistently tried to distance themselves and the project from him.
Bohemian Rhapsody has now passed $800million at the global box office.
The Hollywood Reporter said: “Director Bryan Singer is set to earn tens of millions of dollars off the massive success of Bohemian Rhapsody, despite being fired from the movie mid-production and surrounded by controversy.
“Thanks to a track record of years of hit-making (including the X-Men franchise) and what is said to be a strong backend provision in his deal, Singer’s final payday for the Freddie Mercury biopic is expected to exceed the $40 million range…
“Sources say Fox, the studio that co-financed and released the movie, is exploring its legal options in terms of its financial obligations to Singer.”
Directors and major stars often negotiate addition payments dependent on the profit a movie makes and increasing in line with the final box office take.
Being fired would often negate such deals, however, Singer retains the sole director’s credit on the movie.
It was an open secret during production that there was considerable tension on set between Singer and the cast and producers. Leading man Rami Malek has alluded to the difficulties but everyone involved has been careful to refer to Singer as little as possible and he has taken no part in the promotion of the film, nor its current awards season glory.
BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY DROPPED BY AWARDS CEREMONY: NEW ARTICLE REVEALS HORRIFYING ALLEGATIONS AGAINST DIRECTOR
After the latest article in The Atlantic magazine catalogued a horrifying list of alleged abuses going back many years, there have been calls for Queen icon Brian May to denounce Singer and disassociate the film from him in every way.
One major awards show has dropped Bohemian Rhapsody in protest against Singer.
Commentators have expressed shock that Singer is still attached to the Red Sonja project despite the mounting allegations, feeling it signals powerful industry figures still remain untouchable and rewarded despite their alleged crimes. Of course, this may change if the charges move to court.
ORIGINAL STORY IN THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER