Anais Gutierrez
On Tuesday, the first pictures of Rami Malek as Freddie Mercury were revealed and he’s really convincing. The pics are part of the upcoming biopic ‘Bohemian Rhapsody,’ which will hit the cinemas in December 2018.
While the movie has had a hard time getting started, Malek’s Mercury got the approval and full praise of a former Queen member, Brian May.
Strike a pose
Entertainment Weekly revealed the first glimpse ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’. The anticipated Queen’s biopic which will explore the band’s late years.
The pictures were unveiled on Tuesday, on what would have been Freddie Mercury‘s 71st birthday.
The first look at the production shows what Freddi Mercury will look like in the film. And they totally deliver.
‘Mr. Robot’ star Rami Malek was hired to play the part in the film, and he seems to be the perfect choice to play legendary music icon Freddie Mercury.
Malek channels Mercury’s flamboyant look and poses in the 1985 Live Aid concert at Wembley Stadium. Often regarded as Queen’s greatest single live performance.
When Malek first time saw himself, after the hair and makeup were done to play the part, he saw a different person staring back at him in the mirror.
“It’s a very affirming moment. It only adds to the level of confidence that one would need to play Freddie Mercury,” recalled Malek.
Of course, what’s bound to be even more highly scrutinized than Malek’s look, is Malek’s voice. The film will actually combine Malek’s voice, recordings of Mercury, and a sound alike to achieve the finished product.
“We’re going to use Freddie as much as possible and use me as much as possible,” Malek stated. “I’m in Abbey Road [Studios] right now if that should say anything to you. I’m not working on my acting.”
There’s certainly a transformative aspect to the role, even if the biggest change is just the addition of Mercury’s iconic mustache.
But to Malek, “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.”
Rami Malek is Freddie Mercury in this 'Bohemian Rhapsody' first look: https://t.co/MEBDvQymdB pic.twitter.com/z7N5OCWHuK
— Entertainment Weekly (@EW) September 6, 2017
Total praise and ready to go
Directed by Bryan Singer, ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ is set to chronicle the rise of Queen from 1970. When Mercury first teamed with Brian May and Roger Taylor, up until the band’s Live Aid performance; notably cutting the film short, six years before Mercury died of complications from AIDs.
This was a very deliberate choice by Singer, who didn’t want the film to be a “traditional biopic”, but a celebration of Queen’s music.
“It won’t just be the dark Freddie story, but that being said, that also will be honored”.
The movie recently cast Ben Hardy, Joe Mazzello, and Gwilym Lee as Queen’s other members, and guitarist Brian May posted a photo of the full line-up to his Instagram account on Wednesday morning.
Speaking to Rolling Stone, guitarist Brian May was full of praise for Malek.
“He’s completely living and breathing Freddie already, which is just wonderful to see.”
May called him the “perfect choice to recreate the fabulous Queen years which brought us such unforgettable moments as Live Aid. Which we can reveal will be faithfully recreated for a key sequence the film”.
Rocky start
The film has had a rocky six-year development. Sacha Baron Cohen was originally attached to portray Mercury but was dropped after arguments with Queen band members.
In March 2016, Baron Cohen told radio host Howard Stern he disagreed over how much of the film should be dedicated to Mercury.
“A member of the band – I won’t say who – said: ‘You know, this is such a great movie because it’s got such an amazing thing that happens in the middle.’
“And I go: ‘What happens in the middle of the movie?’ He goes: ‘You know, Freddie dies.’ I go: ‘What happens in the second half of the movie?’ He goes: ‘We see how the band carries on from strength to strength.’
“I said: ‘Listen, not one person is going to see a movie where the lead character dies from AIDS and then you see how the band carries on.'”
Mercury’s sexuality controversy
The film has already courted controversy, however, with concerns that Mercury’s sexuality would be slightly neutered in line with the producer’s wishes – the surviving members of Queen being intimately involved in the film’s production.
At the Howard Stern interview, Sacha Baron Cohen also said that he dropped out of the project after clashing with Brian May, claiming that May did not wish to explore the “nitty gritty” of Mercury’s life.
May denied Cohen’s claims soon after, writing in the Mail on Sunday.
“Sacha became an arse. We had some nice times with Sacha kicking around ideas, but he went off and told untruths about what happened.
“Why would he go away and say that we didn’t want to make a gritty film? Are we the kind of people who have ever ducked from the truth? I don’t think so.”
‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, whether “nitty gritty” or not, hits cinemas December 28, 2018.
Source: Newshub
