After firing 'Bohemian Rhapsody' director Bryan Singer, Fox is now puzzlingly pushing him in its Oscar campaign

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• Fox's "For Your Consideration" Oscar-campaign website includes Bryan Singer for Best Director for "Bohemian Rhapsody."
• Fox fired Singer late into production on the film and replaced him with Dexter Fletcher because he was repeatedly absent from set.

Most critics agree that Rami Malek's portrayal of Queen frontman Freddie Mercury in "Bohemian Rhapsody" lands him in the Oscar race. But Fox, the studio behind the movie, is also pushing director Bryan Singer, despite firing him before the movie was finished.

Fox's "For Your Consideration" Oscar-campaign website lists Bryan Singer for Best Director among the categories it's hoping for "Bohemian Rhapsody" to be nominated in. The movie's best shot at a nomination in any of the major categories is Malek, as the film has received backlash for its historical inaccuracies and portrayal of Mercury's legacy, on top of subpar reviews (it has a 60% on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes).

Fox did not respond to a request for comment.

Fox

The movie came to theaters this month after a troubled production, in which Singer was regularly absent from set to the point where Fox had to replace him with Dexter Fletcher late into filming.

However, Singer was still credited as the sole director of the movie. Director's Guild of America rules stipulate that a movie must have one director or director-team credit, and Fletcher said that he did not want to be credited.

On top of the controversy surrounding the film, Singer is also facing a lawsuit that claims he sexually assaulted a 17 year old at a party in 2003. He has denied it. Singer also responded to a yet-to-be published Esquire article last month that he claimed would "attempt to rehash false accusations and bogus lawsuits."

With all of this mind, it's curious why Fox would include Singer in its "Bohemian Rhapsody" Oscar campaign.