Mr Robot star signs on to play Freddie Mercury in long-awaited biopic
Mr Robot star Rami Malek is the latest actor to be attached to the lead role in the troubled Freddie Mercury biopic.
Plans for a film based on the Queen singer’s life have been floated for nearly a decade, with a number of actors – including Ben Whishaw and Sacha Baron Cohen – attached to the project at various stages.
The project has repeatedly stalled, with Cohen departing after criticising Mercury’s surviving Queen bandmates for micromanaging the project.
The Borat star reportedly clashed with Brian May and Roger Taylor over the tone of the film, and their desire for it to focus on the band instead of Mercury’s life and struggle with HIV/AIDS.
However, two big names are attempting to revive the project for one final push: X-Men director Bryan Singer and Rami Malek, the star of Amazon hit Mr Robot.
Singer, who has helmed five X-Men films, re-announced the project this month.
He confirmed on Instagram: “#bohemianrhapsody #queen #freddiemercury #brianmay #rogertaylor #johndeacon #grahamking #fox #newregency Looking forward to @ramimalek @whoismrrobot playing #Freddie”.
The film is believed to be going by the new name ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’.
Deadline reports that the project “is coming back together and is on the fast track at 2oth Century Fox and New Regency with original producer Graham King and his GK Films”, with plans to shoot early next year.
The site also reports that the film has a new script, from The Theory of Everything scribe Anthony McCarten.
Original Queen bandmembers Brian May and Roger Taylor remain attached as music producers.
