As 20th Century Fox gets ready to release its Freddie Mercury biopic Bohemian Rhapsody this fall, producer Graham King has made it clear who the sole credited director will be. Despite Dexter Fletcher stepping in to finish the production, original director Bryan Singer will get sole directorial credit for the film, which is slated to open on November 2, starring Rami Malek as the late great Freddie Mercury. Here's what Graham King had to say in a new interview with Empire Magazine, where he addressed Singer's abrupt exit.

"Bryan Singer is the credited director of the film. Basically, Bryan had some personal issues going on. He wanted to hiatus the movie to deal with them, and the movie had to get finished. That was what it came down to... It wasn't about reinventing the wheel. We needed someone who would have some creative freedom, but work inside a box. (Fletcher) did us a real favor."

Producer Graham King also confirmed that Dexter Fletcher took the helm for the final 16 days of shooting, and Fletcher himself even stated in a recent interview that he didn't want director's credit for his work on the film. We first reported on Bryan Singer's issues on the set of Bohemian Rhapsody in early December, when 20th Century Fox confirmed they shut down production after some unspecified health issues involving Bryan Singer surfaced. The director reportedly didn't return to work following the Thanksgiving holiday, resulting in director of photography Thomas Newton Siegel to take over as director.

There were reports that Singer was "fired" due to his vanishing act, plus some on-set clashes he had with star Rami Malek, including one incident where he reportedly threw a chair at his star. Singer himself responded a few days later, stating that one of his parents, believed to be his mother, was gravely ill and Singer was upset with the studio because they wouldn't give him the time he needed to take care of. There were other reports that claimed the director displayed "bad behavior" on the set, often showing up to work hungover, or worse. There was speculation that there might be another accusation of sexual misconduct levied against him, and just days later, Singer was sued for allegedly raping a 17-year-old boy.

Singer has been accused of sexual misconduct in the past, but he has never been convicted of any crime. Given all of the press for Singer's sexual misconduct allegations and his dismissal from Bohemian Rhapsody, it seems highly unlikely that the director would even be available to do press, leading up to Bohemian Rhapsody hitting theaters on November 2, but nothing is set in stone at this time. Bohemian Rhapsody will be going up against Disney's The Nutcracker and the Four Realms and an untitled Tyler Perry movie from Paramount on November 2, with even stiffer competition coming in the weeks that follow. Opening on November 9 is Universal's Dr. Seuss' The Grinch and Sony's The Girl In the Spider's Web, with Warner Bros. Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald opening on November 16 with 20th Century Fox's thriller Widows and five movies arriving over Thanksgiving weekend on November 21, with MGM's Creed 2, Disney's Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck-It Ralph 2, Lionsgate's Robin Hood, STX's Second Act and Universal's untitled project from director Robert Zemeckis. Producer Graham King revealed this news in an interview with http:/www.empiremagazine.com|Empire Magazine.