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Sep 05, 2017 By Christopher Roberts Freddie Mercury

Bohemian Rhapsody, a movie about the iconic 1970s and ‘80s rock band Queen, has been in development for almost a decade. It was previously revealed that Rami Malek, the star of USA Networks’ acclaimed hacker drama Mr. Robot, would be playing the band’s iconic late frontman Freddie Mercury. Now Entertainment Weekly has revealed the first photo of Malek as Mercury. Check it out below.

The band’s Brian May and Roger Taylor are involved in the project, with Bryan Singer (The Usual Suspects, Superman Returns, various X-Men movies) directing the film, which is currently in preproduction and is due out December 25, 2018. The film spans between 1970, when Queen was formed, until the band’s performance at Live Aid in 1985, which was six years before Mercury died of AIDS.

Malek had this to say to Entertainment Weekly about the first time he got into hair and makeup as Mercury: “When you’re able to open your eyes and see a different person staring back at you in the mirror, it’s a very affirming moment.”

Malek will do some of the singing himself, but it will be mixed in with original vocals from Mercury, with a sound-a-like to bridge the gaps. As Malek told Entertainment Weekly: “We’re going to use Freddie as much as possible and use myself as much as possible. I’m in Abbey Road [Studios] right now if that should say anything to you. I’m not working on my acting.”

Singer had this to say about the tone of the film: “It won’t just be the dark Freddie story, but that being said, that also will be honored. It’s about collaboration. It’s a celebration.”

Previously Borat and Ali G himself, Sacha Baron Cohen, was cast as Mercury, but he left the project due to creative differences. Malek won the Best Actor Emmy last year for his performance as Elliot Alderson in Mr. Robot. Below also is the original video for “Bohemian Rhapsody.”

#RamiMalek is #FreddieMercury in this exclusive first look at ‘Bohemian Rhapsody.’????????The Bryan Singer-directed film (out Dec. 25, 2018) chronicles #Queen from 1970, when Mercury teamed with Brian May and Roger Taylor, until the band’s performance at Live Aid in 1985, six years before the singer died of complications from AIDS. Click the link in our bio for more. ????: Nick Delaney/Fox

A post shared by Entertainment Weekly (@entertainmentweekly) on Sep 5, 2017 at 1:45pm PDT

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