"Bohemian Rhapsody," the Freddie Mercury biopic, has long been gestating in Hollywood. Initially pitched in 2010, the film was intended to feature "Borat" and Ali G star Sacha Baron Cohen as the Queen lead singer in what would have been his first straight dramatic performance. Peter Morgan, best known for writing quasi-biopics such as "The Queen," "The Damned United" and "Rush," would have penned the screenplay.

Baron Cohen left the project in 2013 citing creative differences over how Freddie should be portrayed and the film entered “Development Hell” until it was picked up again in 2016, with star of "Mr. Robot" Rami Malek as Freddie, Justin Haythe writing the screenplay and Bryan Singer, best known for his work on the X-Men franchise, directing.

However, the project hit another roadblock this weekend as Singer failed to return to the London set after the project’s Thanksgiving break. As of yet, only two, very brief statements have been released. The first was by Twentieth Century Fox Film, the production studio behind the movie, which said “Twentieth Century Fox Film has temporarily halted production of Bohemian Rhapsody due to the unexpected availability of Bryan Singer.” The second, from a representative of the director who also works for Twentieth Century Fox, was delivered to the BBC and said his absence is due to “a personal health matter concerning Bryan and his family,” later adding “Bryan hopes to get back to work on the film soon after the holidays.”

As of yet, neither the nature of the illness or even the location of Singer – home, hospital, rehab, etc. – have been confirmed.

This is not the first time Singer has disappeared during the production of a movie. During the productions of "Superman Returns" and "X-Men: Apocalypse," Singer reportedly stepped away for a few days. Though this isn't the first time he has “unexpectedly halted” a production, the context is very different this time.

There have been ongoing stories that Singer has been incredibly difficult to deal with during the biopic's production. The Hollywood Reporter cites insiders revealing that Singer has regularly been late to shoots, aggravating both the actors and the producers. Cinematographer Newton Thomas Sigel – Singer’s go-to cinematographer – has had to step in and direct on at least one of those filming days. There have also been persistent rumors that Singer and Rami Malek have repeatedly argued over Malek’s portrayal of Mercury, continuing the problem which has followed the film since its inception.

Singer has also been dogged by involvement in the sexual abuse scandal that has rocked the film industry for the past few months. The director has been repeatedly and regularly accused of sexual misconduct to the degree that he was cited in the 2014 Hollywood child sex abuse documentary “An Open Secret” from filmmaker Amy J. Berg. The main allegation in the movie is that he repeatedly tried to film nude shower scenes with underage extras for "Apt Pupil," a 1998 Stephen King adaptation that starred Brad Renfro and Ian McKellen.

Apart from the allegations, he has been repeatedly linked to others who have been accused of sexual misconduct. In 2014, Gawker published an article by Jordan Sargent called "The Sad Truths Behind the L.A. Party Scene That Took Down Bryan Singer." It discusses the court case of Michael Egan, a man who claims he was sexually assaulted by four men, including Singer who he accused of drugging and raping him at a pool party when he was 17. The article elaborates that this wasn’t a single event but part of the pool party scene based on linking older, influential men with younger boys.

Named in the article are Jason James Murphy, who was convicted of kidnapping and molesting an 8-year-old when he was 19. Murphy worked on a short film produced by Bryan Singer, and Marc Collins-Rector, who was convicted for transporting minors across state lines in order to sleep with them. Murphy was also host of the pool party where Michael Egan met Bryan Singer, as well as being Singer’s business partner on a failed video streaming project called Digital Entertainment Network.

Though the article claimed to have "taken (him) down," Singer continues to work, as he's slated to produce "X-Men: Dark Phoenix" along with his involvement in the Queen biopic. Another name that appears in the article is Singer's friend and regular collaborator, Kevin Spacey.

Spacey's career also continued in light of constant rumors – until October 2017 when actor Anthony Rapp accused him of attempted sexual assault at a party in 1986, when Rapp was 14 and Spacey was 26.

In the immediate aftermath, Spacey’s name was so toxic that he was scrubbed entirely from the upcoming Ridley Scott movie, "All the Money in the World." Spacey’s name was so entwined with Singer's that the director deleted his Twitter account within days the accusations against Spacey.

The combination of silence from the movie studios and wave of sexual abuse allegations in the entertainment industry are fueling rumors that Singer's absence is due to similar allegations. 

Bohemian Rhapsody is slated to be released December 2018.