BBCNo matter how confidently drunk you are in your singing abilities when you belt out Bohemian Rhapsody from the dance floor of a crap club at 3am on a Friday night, there’s only one Freddie Mercury.
But Rami Malek is going to do a pretty good job of emulating the late, great, Queen frontman, famed for his four-octave vocal range and raw on-stage physicality.
The 36-year-old actor, known for his starring role in Mr Robot has been spotted on set of his latest film venture, which will see Freddie Mercury reincarnated for a silver screen biopic, titled Bohemian Rhapsody.
PAThe Brian Singer film will follow the musical career and never-ending highlights reel of Queen’s oeuvre, beginning in 1970 and concluding six years before Mercury’s tragic passing at the hands of AIDS, with the iconic Live Aid performance at London’s Wembley Stadium in 1985.
Filming for this scene has commenced and seems to affirm the casting call was correct in choosing Malek – reportedly over Johnny Depp and Sacha Baron Cohen – to portray such a flamboyantly recognisable figure.
Rock’n’Roll Twitter cannot wait to see their icon be brought back to life on the silver screen:
O Brian May pelo jeito tá bem feliz com o Remi Malek interpretando o Freddie pic.twitter.com/RylTVroUQz
— Robson Alves (@alvesrobb) September 12, 2017
Remi Malek first pic as Freddie Mercury. Ah. May. Zing. Sooo long to wait tho #RemiMalek #FreddieMercury #biopic #queen pic.twitter.com/zhZyewya8I
— Chris Neave (@nuggsyradio) September 7, 2017
Malek told People about the ‘affirming moment’ he first saw himself in make-up as Mercury, ‘when you’re able to open your eyes and see a different person staring back at you in the mirror.’
While Rami seems to be nailing Freddie’s aesthetic, he says for vocals, the film will ‘use Freddie as much as possible and use myself as much as possible’ and added:
I’m in Abbey Road right now if that should say anything to you. I’m not working on my acting.
For nostalgia’s sake here’s Freddie, Brian and the gang on stage at Live Aid:
Brian May is acting as producer for Bohemian Rhapsody on set in Buckinghamshire, England, and he will be played in the film by Gwilym Lee.
Lets hope Rami is up to the champion task of rocking us like Mercury.
A former emo kid who talks too much about 8Chan meme culture, the Kardashian Klan, and how her smartphone is probably killing her. Francesca is a Cardiff University Journalism Masters grad who has done words for BBC, ELLE, The Debrief, DAZED, an art magazine you’ve never heard of and a feminist zine which never went to print.