Rami Malek looks the part in Bohemian Rhapsody trailer

Rami Malek IS Sacha Baron Cohen AS Freddie Mercury in a film about Queen

Video by Jamie Dunn | 15 May 2018

After all the misfortune that’s befallen the production of Freddie Mercury biopic Bohemian Rhapsody – including director Bryan Singer getting the boot and original star Sacha Baron Cohen (the perfect Freddie Mercury in our eyes) leaving the project – we’d chalked this one down to another film project biting the dust. The producers were under pressure, but clearly felt the show must go on. Call it a kind of magic, but Bohemian Rhapsody has its first trailer, with Mr Robot actor Rami Malek making a killer Queen frontman.

Malek certainly looks the part in a variety of glam outfits, and knows how to strike one of the flamboyant singer’s iconic poses. The trailer follows Mercury as he joins forces with Brian May (Gwilym Lee) and Roger Taylor (Ben Hardy) to form Queen and chronicles the band’s meteoric rise through the 70s and 80s, with the trailer featuring the recording of the band’s signature tune of the title and their epic performance at Live Aid.

Bryan Singer began in the director's chair, but was fired after unexpectedly shutting down production when he was mysteriously “unavailable". Dexter Fletcher (Eddie the Eagle and Sunshine on Leith) took over directing duty. Will the resulting film rock you? Or is a hammer ready to fall on this troubled production? Or something something Fat Bottom Girls? We’ll find out when the film is released on 2 Nov in the US; a UK release date will be announced shortly.

Take a look at the trailer in the player above or on YouTube