Rami Malek To Play Freddie Mercury In Biopic

Variety reports:

“Mr. Robot” star Rami Malek is attached to play Freddie Mercury in long-development biopic “Bohemian Rhapsody” from GK Films with Bryan Singer in talks to direct. New Regency and Fox are coming aboard to co-produce the film with Graham King producing as well.

Singer confirmed the news on Instagram with a photo of the group confirming his involvement as well as Malek’s. “The Theory Of Everything” scribe Anthony McCarten penned the script.

King has been trying to get the project off the ground for sometime having originally set it up at Sony with Sacha Baron Cohen at one point set to star. When Cohen dropped out, King began shopping the project elsewhere while looking for a new director and front-man to star in the pic.

Jim Beach is also producing with Denis O’Sullivan exec producing. Original Queen bandmembers Brian May and Roger Taylor will serve as music producers.

When Cohen dropped out of the project, he told Howard Stern it was because the surviving members of Queen had insisted that the second half of the movie focus on the band’s activities after Mercury’s death. It’s not clear if that remains the plan.