Queen have confirmed details about the forthcoming Freddie Mercury biopic, Bohemian Rhapsody.
Rumours about the movie, which has been in development for eight years, have been circulating for some time.
Now, a post on the band’s official website has updated fans on what to expect from the film, which is due for release in 2018.
Director Bryan Singer will take the helm on the project. Singer has previously worked on the likes of the X-Men franchise, Valkyrie and The Usual Suspects. He will, according to the post, “faithfully recreate” iconic moments such as the performance at Live Aid in the movie.
Meanwhile, the band have also officially confirmed actor Rami Malek will play Mercury himself. Sacha Baron-Cohen was originally planned to take the role, but pulled out after disagreements with members of the band involved in the movie, Brian May and Roger Taylor. Malek is best-known for his part in TV series Mr Robot.
Speaking to their official website about the casting, May and Taylor said: “Rami has great presence and he’s utterly dedicated to the project. He’s completely living and breathing Freddie already, which is wonderful.”
May and Taylor will act as executive music producers on Bohemian Rhapsody, which is “as-close-as-that” to beginning filming. Pre-production will begin next week (week commencing July 17) with principal photography getting underway in London “as soon as mid-September”.
The post teased more information yet to be announced, including who will play May, Taylor and John Deacon. It ended hinting that a call for extras will soon be made, asking “Fancy being in the film?”