Bryan Singer May Bag $40 Million for Bohemian Rhapsody

Bryan Singer was fired from his position as director of Bohemian Rhapsody -- but he may still receive an enormous payday.

The bisexual producer -- who is facing multiple new allegations of sexual assault of underage boys and young men, as reported in a recent article for The Atlantic -- stands to make up to $40 million for directing the Freddie Mercury biopic, two sources told The Hollywood Reporter.

Bohemian Rhapsody has been a commercial hit, taking in over $200 million in the United States alone and over $800 million globally, according to Box Office Mojo. Its surprising financial success means that Singer, who is still credited as Bohemian Rhapsody's director, can still profit from the film due to the back-end payments (and likely, box-office bonuses) guaranteed in his contract.

Twentieth Century Fox, the studio that backed Bohemian Rhapsody, is reportedly searching for a legal avenue to prevent these payments from occurring. Singer had been terminated from the film mid-production in December 2017, due to the "unexpected availability" of the director, who was repeatedly tardy and absent from set. There were also reports of clashes with cast and crew members, including star Rami Malek.

The terms of Singer's departure were not made public. But THR's sources speculate that his director credit is a sign that Singer, despite being fired with cause, may still have negotiated some retention of back-end payments. Singer also stands to make up to a career high of $10 million for directing Red Sonja, which centers on a female survivor of rape.

For years, the director has been the subject of sexual assault accusations. However, even in the #MeToo era, reports have not harmed his career as has been the case with other alleged predators like Harvey Weinstein and Kevin Spacey. Singer has not responded to reports of his projected Bohemian Rhapsody earnings, but previously, he called the Atlantic article, which included four new allegations, a "homophobic smear piece."