In development for some time, the Freddie Mercury biopic titled Bohemian Rhapsody may finally be headed to the big screen. Deadline reports that the film, set up at 20th Century Fox through New Regency and GK Films, has set Mr. Robot‘s Rami Malek in the Mercury role. What’s more, the update says that X-Men franchise director Bryan Singer is in talks to direct.
Bohemian Rhapsody, the most recent draft of which hails from Academy Award-nominated scribe Anthony McCarten (The Theory of Everything), will tell the story of Mercury and his iconic rock band, Queen. Queen formed in London in the 1970s and is known today for hits like “We Will Rock You,” “Another One Bites the Dust,” “Killer Queen,” “Don’t Stop Me Now,” and many, many more. It hasn’t been specified exactly how much of Queen’s history will appear in Bohemian Rhapsody and there’s a good two decades between the band forming and Mercury’s tragic death in 1991.
Plans for a Freddie Mercury biopic have been on the table for years with Sacha Baron Cohen having formerly been named to play Mercury. Directors previously connected to Bohemian Rhapsody include Dexter Fletcher and Stephen Frears.
Bohemian Rhapsody is aiming to begin production early next year. Producers include Graham King and Jim Beach, with Denis O’Sullivan serving as executive producer. What’s more, Queen’s own Brian May and Roger Taylor are set to serve as Bohemian Rhapsody‘s music producers.
