In an Instagram post earlier this weekend, director Bryan Singer announced that he will be directing a new movie about the life of Queen singer Freddie Mercury, with actor Rami Malek playing the role of the iconic musician. Singer stated in the post that he was "looking forward" to working with Malek, who has recently won an Emmy for his work on the television drama Mr. Robot. Brian May and Roger Taylor, former members of Queen themselves, have been actively involved in the project. The film will be produced by GK Films in collaboration with major studios 20th Century Fox and New Regency. The latest version of the script comes from screenwriter Anthony McCarten, known for his work on the Stephen Hawking biopic The Theory of Everything.
The film, to be titled Bohemian Rhapsody after the classic song, has been a long awaited project for those at GK Films, who have been trying to bring the film together for the past eight years. The biggest conflict that has been delaying the production of the film has been over who should play the role of Mercury. Sasha Baron Cohen, of Borat fame, was meant to star in the film but declined the role due to conflict with some of Queen's members in 2013. It was Cohen who brought in screenwriter Peter Morgan, the creator of Netflix’s new series The Crown, to write the script for the film. According to Cohen in an interview with Howard Stern, it was his determination to present a full picture of Mercury's life, including his relationship sex and drugs, that clashed with the bands' desire to show a more wholesome version of Mercury on camera. “There are amazing stories about Freddie Mercury. The guy was wild, I mean he was living an extreme lifestyle," said Cohen. "There are stories of...little people with plates with cocaine on their heads walking around a party. The problem is—and I think it’s with any biopic, and I fully understand why Queen wanted to do this—if you’re in control of your rights and your life story, why wouldn’t you depict yourself as great as possible?”
Aside from Cohen, there were other actors considered for the role, including Skyfall's Ben Whishaw, but it seems as though they have finally found the right actor with Rami Malek. The film is on track to begin shooting early next year.