Advertisement

Mr Robot star Rami Malek confirmed to play Freddie Mercury in Queen movie

Mercury... Rami Malek is set to play the Queen frontman - Credit: Getty
Mercury… Rami Malek is set to play the Queen frontman – Credit: Getty

After a few false starts, the forthcoming Queen movie is going ahead, with its Freddie Mercury confirmed as ‘Mr Robot’ star Rami Malek.

He’ll play the mercurial frontman in what’s being tentatively called ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, with X-Men helmsman Bryan Singer behind the camera.

“Rami has great presence and he’s utterly dedicated to the project,” guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor said in a joint statement to the official Queen website.

“He’s completely living and breathing Freddie already, which is wonderful.”

The film’s been in something of a holding pattern prior to Malek’s casting, with a range of directors and stars having been involved.

‘Skyfall’ and ‘Spectre’ star Ben Whishaw was once in the frame to play Mercury, with Dexter Fletcher behind the camera.

Even David Fincher was said to be involved at one stage, but it was Sacha Baron Cohen who perhaps made it closest to rolling cameras, and who also let slip about what kind of movie it might be.

(Credit: Reuters)
(Credit: Reuters)

However, he fell out with Brian May over the film’s direction, revealing his exchange with one of the band to Howard Stern.

“A member of the band – I won’t say who – said: ‘You know, this is such a great movie because it’s got such an amazing thing that happens in the middle.’

“And I go: ‘What happens in the middle of the movie?’ He goes: ‘You know, Freddie dies.’ … I go: ‘What happens in the second half of the movie?’ He goes: ‘We see how the band carries on from strength to strength.’

“I said: ‘Listen, not one person is going to see a movie where the lead character dies from Aids and then you see how the band carries on.’

“There are amazing stories about Freddie Mercury. The guy was wild. There are stories of little people walking around parties with plates of cocaine on their heads!”

He added that Brian May was an ‘amazing musician’ but ‘not a great movie producer’.

May later denied that the band was not up for making a warts and all movie.

”Why would he go away and say that we didn’t want to make a gritty film,” May asked in an interview with the Mail on Sunday.

”Are we the kind of people who have ever ducked from the truth? I don’t think so.”

Roger Taylor also added that they let Baron Cohen go because they didn’t want the film to be ‘a joke’.

Whether the story arc of Queen going ‘from strength to strength’ remains now Malek and Singer are involved is not yet known.

However, the movie’s producers are now making a casting call for extras, specifically looking for ‘men and women with 70s and 80s hair’.

Read more
Tributes pour out for George A Romero
Disney plans Star Wars hotel
Wookie pal for Chewie in Han Solo spin-off