Egyptian-American actor Rami Malek has been cast to play the role of legendary singer Freddie Mercury in an upcoming biopic on Queen.
Entitled Bohemian Rhapsody, the biopic will explore the British rock band Queen and its iconic lead singer, Mercury. The film has been in production for eight years but has been put on hold due to several issues, including Sacha Baron Cohen – who was originally cast as Mercury – walked away from the film due to “creative differences.”
Malek took Baron Cohen’s place and is set to work with director Graham King, as well as original members of Queen Brian May and Roger Taylor, who will be on board as music producers.
Although the biopic’s release date has yet to be announced, shooting for the film is reportedly scheduled to begin early next year.
Malek broke into the spotlight for his role as Elliot Anderson in Mr. Robot, a hit series about a vigilante hacker whose mission is to take down one of the largest corporations in the world. In January, the show won the Golden Globe award for “Best Drama Series,” for which other hit shows such as Game of Thrones and Narcos were nominated.
Malek also won an Emmy for “Oustanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series” in September, edging out a number of other actors including Kyle Chandler of Bloodline, Bob Odenkirk of Better Call Saul, Matthew Rhys of The Americans, and Kevin Spacey of House of Cards.
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