Few actors would be capable of portraying Freddie Mercury on the big screen and fewer still would be able to convince audiences that they are, in fact, Freddie Mercury. And yet, here we are, with Mr. Robot‘s Rami Malek about to do just that with Bohemian Rhapsody.
The casting of Malek drew some criticism when it was first announced (as these things tend to do), but after seeing all the footage of him in action – including yesterday’s electrifying first clip – there’s no denying that the actor looks the part as Queen’s legendary frontman and brings Mercury to life perfectly, especially in those scenes where he’s rocking out with his band on stage in front of tens of thousands of screaming fans.
And now, to keep the momentum going ahead of the film’s release later this fall, the studio’s pumped out another promo which wishes Freddie a Happy Birthday, as the singer would’ve been 72 yesterday had he not passed away back in 1991.
If you’ve been keeping a close eye on Fox’s starry biopic, you’ll know that Bohemian Rhapsody has emerged from some production troubles, after things were brought to a screeching halt back in December when it was alleged that erstwhile director Bryan Singer (X-Men) had become unstable, lashing out at the cast and crew and losing control of his film.
He’s since released a statement about the entire ordeal, but it seems apparent that he could no longer control the music drama. And so, in Singer’s place, Eddie the Eagle helmer Dexter Fletcher was roped in to oversee the remainder of production, during which time he helped nudge Bohemian Rhapsody over the finish line.
And now? The film’s completed and ready to go, with the Queen biopic ready to light up US theaters on November 2nd – one week after its debut in the United Kingdom. Lucy Boynton, Gwilym Lee, Ben Hardy, Joseph Mazzello, Aidan Gillen, Tom Hollander, Allen Leech and Mike Myers round out the incredible ensemble cast.
