Images for the upcoming Queen biopic "Bohemian Rhapsody" has surfaced, with Rami Malek taking the role of the mustachioed Freddie Mercury. Donning the iconic white vest and tight pants, Malek stood out during the recreation of the band's performance at the 1985 Live Aid benefit concert.
Performed at a Buckinghamshire prop stage that almost mirrors the original set, Malek started hyping the imaginary crowd with some punches, Rolling Stone reported. He then proceeds to the piano where he keyed in the first lines of the classic Queen track "Bohemian Rhapsody." The leaked images also showed Malek joined by Gwilym Lee playing as band guitarist Brian May, Ben Hardy as Queen's drummer Roger Taylor and Joseph Mazzello completing the roundup as bassist John Deacon.
One interesting item on the released images is the appearance of the original Brian May on the set. As reported by Mail Online, May could be seen as part of the cast and crew, watching the actors play out Queen's Live Aid performance, which many claims to be the best rock performance of all time.
Covering the journey of Queen, from their start in the 70's up until the Live Aid performance, the Malek-led "Bohemian Rhapsody" is helmed by director Brian Singer, with Anthony McCarten creating the script. According to Singer, the movie will celebrate the music of Queen and be honoring the late singer, rather than focusing on the untimely demise of Mercury due to AIDS.
Malek's visual resemblance to Mercury gives the actor the confidence he needs to play as the Queen frontman. As for the vocal performance for the character, Malek has stated that it would be a combination of his voice, Mercury's, and a sound alike to fill in the difference.
The role of Freddie Mercury has been offered to other celebrities before Egyptian-American actor got the spot last November. Originally, Sasha Baron Cohen got the role in 2013, only to bow out due to creative differences with the surviving members of the Band.
"Bohemian Rhapsody" will be playing in theatres in 2018.