Bohemian Rhapsody movie 2018: Release date, trailer and cast for the new Queen film

The story of the legendary Queen vocalist Freddie Mercury arrives in cinemas this month, with the release of the much anticipated biopic Bohemian Rhapsody.

Queen members Brian May and Roger Taylor served as consultants on the film, which follows the band up to their famous performance at 1985’s Live Aid and also tells the story of Mercury’s Aids diagnosis.

The film is set to be one of the most high profile biopics in years despite enduring a troubled production, which saw original director Bryan Singer leave the project in acrimonious circumstances.

Here’s everything you need to know about the film.

Cast

Rami Malek stars in the lead role as Freddie Mercury. The actor is known for performances in The Master, Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb and the USA Network series Mr Robot.

A Queen fan from a young age, Malek was initially apprehensive over taking the role and described it as a “gun to the head situation” in a recent interview.

Jurassic Park star Joseph Mazzello also appears as Queen bass player John Deacon, while X-Men: Apocalypse’s Ben Hardy plays drummer Roger Taylor and Gwilym Lee steps into guitarist Brian May's shoes. Lucy Boynton also plays Mercury's life long companion Mary Austin.

Game of Thrones star Aidan Gillen plays former manager John Reid, Pride and Prejudice star Tom Hollander plays his replacement Jim Beach. Max Bennett also stars as David Bowie.

Production

The film has been hit with various production problems. Sacha Baron Cohen was originally attached to play Mercury, but dropped out over disagreements with Queen regarding the portrayal of the singer’s personal life. Ben Whishaw was also allegedly briefly attached to the movie.

Malek was later cast in the lead role, but further problems later resulted in director Bryan Singer being fired from the project in December last year.

The Hollywood Reporter said that Malek complained to 20th Century Fox about Singer repeatedly failing to turn up and “unprofessionalism”.

Actor Tom Hollander, who plays manager Jim Beach, is also said to have quit the film because of Singer’s alleged behaviour before returning to the project.

Dexter Fletcher, who helmed Eddie the Eagle and Sunshine on Leith, stepped in to replace him, but Singer remains the only credited director on the project.

Release date

Bohemian Rhapsody is released in UK cinemas on October 24, and in the US on November 2.