Bohemian Rhapsody production halted due to Bryan Singer's 'unexpected unavailability'

As a result of director Bryan Singer’s “unexpected unavailability,” production on the Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody has been temporarily put on hold.

In a statement to EW on Friday, the studio behind the film said: “Twentieth Century Fox Film has temporarily halted production on Bohemian Rhapsody due to the unexpected unavailability of Bryan Singer.”

The reason for Singer’s absence, according to a report first published by the BBC and confirmed by EW, is “a personal health matter concerning Bryan and his family” and that the director hopes to return to the film after the holidays.

Bohemian Rhapsody stars Rami Malek as Queen frontman Freddie Mercury. Previously speaking to EW, Singer revealed that the biopic won’t shy away from the late singer’s health struggles.

“It won’t just be the dark Freddie story, but that being said, that [aspect of him] also will be honored,” he shared. “I would be remiss not to. There’s a way to do it — without getting into the specifics of how I’m doing it — which has been discussed among all participants and we feel it’s being honored, but at the same time, it’s about the music.”

Despite the production delay, Bohemian Rhapsody is still scheduled for release on Dec. 25, 2018.