Rami Malek Signs Up For Freddie Mercury Biopic, With Bryan Singer Directing

Making a movie about Queen frontman Freddie Mercury has proven pretty difficult, with various people, such as Sacha Baron Cohen and Ben Whishaw, attached to the central role, while directors such as Tom Hooper and Dexter Fletcher have come and gone. However, despite several years having passed, the project is still alive and kicking, with the news that Mr. Robot star Rami Malek is now set to play Mercury, while Bryan Singer is slated to direct.

The previous incarnation of the movie was described as a coming-of-age tale, leading up to Queen’s iconic Live Aid performance at Wembley Stadium in 1985, which is considered one of the great rock performances of all time. It’s not known if that’s still the central spine of the movie, as new writers have been brought in since then and Singer may have his own ideas.

There have also been previous rumours that the surviving members of Queen, who are helping produce the film, wanted to minimise Mercury’s sexuality in the movie, and that this is why the version for Baron Cohen didn’t work out, but hopefully having Singer involved will ensure the fact Mercury was gay isn’t completely shoved to one side. Malek would also seem a great choice, with his ability to jump from seeming extremely introverted to extroverted matching Freddie’s personality.