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First photo of Rami Malek as Freddie Mercury in Queen biopic 'Bohemian Rhapsody' released

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Freddie Mercury / Rami Malek

The first official photo of actor Rami Malek portraying Freddie Mercury in the upcoming Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody has been released. In the image shared by Brian May, the 36-year-old American actor can be seen throwing an iconic Freddie pose in a recreation of Queen’s legendary performance at Live Aid at London’s Wembley Stadium on 13th July 1985.

Directed by X-Men director Bryan Singer, filming on Bohemian Rhapsody began in London in September 2017 and Rami said of his transformation to EW.com, "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."

The long-gestating film tells the story from Queen’s embryonic days in 1970 through to arguably their defining set at Live Aid, six years before Freddie’s untimely death. Roger Taylor and Brian May serve as executive producers on the movie.

Following Rami's unveiling in 2017, actors Ben Hardy (as Roger Taylor), Joe Mazzello (John Deacon) and Gwilym Lee (Brian May) were added as Queen’s other members.

Brian May took to Instagram to share an image of all four actors, writing, "These great guys are already living and breathing their roles as us in our youthful prime."

Heaping praise on Rami Malek, the band wrote, “Rami has great presence and he’s utterly dedicated to the project. He’s completely living and breathing Freddie already, which is wonderful.”

They added of Bryan Singer, "(Bryan is) a 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."

Way back in September 2010, Sacha Baron Cohen was originally confirmed to play Freddie Mercury in the film but he dropped out in July 2013 citing “creative differences” between himself and the band. Dominic Cooper was later rumoured to play Freddie, however this never materialised.

Freddie Mercury was born Farrokh Bulsara, check out other well-known people who have used stage names:

Camila Cabello

Real name: Karla Camila Cabello Estrabao

First photo of Rami Malek as Freddie Mercury in Queen biopic 'Bohemian Rhapsody' released
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Camila Cabello

Real name: Karla Camila Cabello Estrabao

In May 2018 the first trailer from Bohemian Rhapsody was released. The trailer starts with 'We Will Rock You' hand claps and also has Freddie’s iconic vocal improvisation during Queen’s Live Aid performance in 1985, before various tantalising clips from the movie, soundtracked by a medley of ‘Another One Bites The Dust’, ‘Killer Queen’ and, of course, ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’.

Bohemian Rhapsody hits UK cinemas on the 24th October 2018.