Bohemian Rhapsody director Bryan Singer’s name has been removed from the film's Bafta Awards nomination. ‘Rhapsody’ itself will remain nominated for the Outstanding British Film award on Sunday - but Singer's nomination has been "suspended,” which, in all likelihood, means removed.
In a statement released on Wednesday, BAFTA said it considered the Singer’s alleged behavior, that he sexually abused underaged boys, "completely unacceptable and incompatible" with its values, but that it did recognize "Mr Singer's denial of the allegations" but that his suspension would remain in place "until the outcome of the allegations has been resolved".
It added: "For the avoidance of doubt, Bohemian Rhapsody remains nominated in the Outstanding British Film category, and the other individuals named as candidates in respect of the film remain nominees.
"Bafta believes everyone has the right to a fulfilling career in a safe, professional working environment, and it will continue to collaborate with the film, games and television industries to achieve this."
Singer has said that the allegations are nothing more than a “homophobic smear campaign” concocted against him.
Here's a bit of history on Singer:
After directing the Oscar-winning hit “ The Usual Suspects,” Singer was a hot commodity in Hollywood. However, only a year after winning the statuette, in 1997, a 14-year-old extra accused the director of asking him and other minors to film a shower scene naked for “Apt Pupil.” The suit was dismissed for insufficient evidence.
Since then, rumors have always been abounding in Hollywood about Singer, but not many “victims” would come forward. Did the “Apt Pupil” incident scare people away? It wasn’t enough to scare actor Michael Egan III whom, in April of 2014, accused Singer of sexual assault in an incident that occurred in 1999. Singer had allegedly drugged and raped Egan, who was a minor, in Hawaii and Los Angeles at the time of “Apt Pupil.” Singer denied the accusations, proclaiming them to be “outrageous, vicious, and completely false.” The suit was withdrawn by Egan, but another surfaced from a British man alleging similar behavior around the time of “Superman Returns.” Nonetheless, Singer continued making movies.