Mr. Robot Star Rami Malek Will Play Rock Icon Freddie Mercury in Queen Movie

Fresh off his big Emmy win for Mr. Robot, Rami Malek will take on the role of Queen frontman and rock 'n roll icon Freddie Mercury for director Bryan Singer (The Usual Suspects).

The script for the long-developed biopic, titled Bohemian Rhapsody, comes from The Theory of Everything scribe Anthony McCarten, with Graham King (Argo) producing.

Singer confirmed the project on Instagram with a photo of Queen's famed 'Queen II' album cover. The director has spent the last 15 years in blockbuster mode, shepherding Fox's X-Men franchise, and Bohemian Rhapsody promises a return to his early character dramas like The Usual Suspects and Apt Pupil.

Long-time Queen manager Jim Beach is also producing, with original band members Brian May and Roger Taylor on board as executive music producers.

Malek, who hacked his way into hearts as Elliot Alderson, has earned widespread critical acclaim for his performance in Mr. Robot, earning an Emmy Award and a Critics Choice Award for best actor in a drama series earlier this year. He'll next be seen in the festival hit Buster's Mal Heart and is currently filming Papillon, a remake of the 1973 Steve McQueen crime drama, with Charlie Hunnam.

It's been a long road getting Bohemian Rhapsody off the ground for King, who has seen the project through multiple incarnations over the last eight years. Sacha Baron Cohen was set to play Mercury for years before departing over creative differences, and another version saw Ben Wishaw attached with Dexter Fletcher (Eddie the Eagle) directing, but that team up also fell apart. 20th Century Fox and New Regency have stepped in as backers for the film, which was previously set up at Sony.

Malek is the first actor cast in the newly revived biopic, but producers are hoping to have it in front of cameras by early next year.

MORE: Here's a look at Rami on the red carpet. Such a snappy dresser!

Rami Malek on the Red Carpet

Rami Malek on the Red Carpet

Rami Malek rocks a casual look with Christian Slater and Broad City's Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer at a SXSW party in Austin. Credit: Vivien Killilea / Getty Images

Rami Malek on the Red Carpet

Rami Malek on the Red Carpet

Suave in white! Rami Malek wears a white dinner jacket to the 2016 Vanity Fair Oscar Party. Credit: Pascal Le Segretain / Getty Images

Rami Malek on the Red Carpet

Rami Malek on the Red Carpet

Rami Malek sports a plum suit to hit the blue carpet with Freida Pinto at the 2016 Film Independent Spirit Awards. Credit: Jesse Grant / Getty Images

Rami Malek on the Red Carpet

Rami Malek on the Red Carpet

Rami wore an Ovadia & Sons tuxedo to the 2016 SAG Awards, where he was nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series. Credit: Frazer Harrison / Getty Images

Rami Malek on the Red Carpet

Rami Malek on the Red Carpet

Rami has a more casual look for the Entertainment Weekly Celebration Honoring the SAG Awards Nominees party. Credit: Jason Kempin / Getty Images

Rami Malek on the Red Carpet

Rami Malek on the Red Carpet

Rami is joined by Christian Slater and A$AP Rocky in the front row at the Dior Homme Menswear Fall/Winter 2016-2017 show in Paris. Credit: Pascal Le Segretain / Getty Images

Rami Malek on the Red Carpet

Rami Malek on the Red Carpet

Rami and co-star Portia Doubleday pose with giant Mr. Robot fan art at the 21st Annual Critics' Choice Awards. Credit: Alberto E. Rodriguez / Getty Images

Rami Malek on the Red Carpet

Rami Malek on the Red Carpet

Cool socks! Rami wears a sharp blue suit to speak on the 2016 Winter TCA panel with his Mr. Robot castmates. Credit: Frederick M. Brown / Getty Images

Rami Malek on the Red Carpet

Rami Malek on the Red Carpet

A perfect victory look. A tuxedo-clad Rami Malek poses with his castmates after Mr. Robot's win for Best Television Series, Drama at the 2016 Golden Globes. Credit: Kevin Winter / Getty Images

Rami Malek on the Red Carpet

Rami Malek on the Red Carpet

Rami poses with Uzo Adubo, his co-host at the 2016 Film Independent Filmmaker Grant and Spirit Award Nominees Brunch.Credit: Jason Merritt / Getty Images

Rami Malek on the Red Carpet

Rami Malek on the Red Carpet

Rami opts for a green blazer, no tie to join Christian Slater and Sam Esmail at the 16th Annual AFI Awards on Jan. 8, 2016. Credit: Jason Merritt / Getty Images

Rami Malek on the Red Carpet

Rami Malek on the Red Carpet

Rami rocks a black leather motorcycle jacket to attend the L.A. Dance Project 2015 Benefit in Los Angeles. Credit: Rich Polk / Getty Images

Rami Malek on the Red Carpet

Rami Malek on the Red Carpet

Rami sets a perfect image while speaking onstage at NBC Universal's Leadership Breakfast during Advertising Week 2015. Credit: Slaven Vlasic / Getty Images

Rami Malek on the Red Carpet

Rami Malek on the Red Carpet

For the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and InStyle Celebration of the 2016 Golden Globe Award Season, Rami Malek goes with a sleek monochromatic look. Credit: Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images

Rami Malek on the Red Carpet

Rami Malek on the Red Carpet

Rami joins his incredibly stylish co-stars, Carly Chaikin and Portia Doubleday, at the 2015 People's "One to Watch" event. Credit: Imeh Akpanudosen / Getty Images

Rami Malek on the Red Carpet

Rami Malek on the Red Carpet

Rami Malek wears sneakers and a motorcycle vest to attend the NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment Upfront in 2015. Credit: Robin Marchant / Getty Images

Rami Malek on the Red Carpet

Rami Malek on the Red Carpet

Rami looks sleek in all black with his super stylish Mr. Robot co-stars at the 2015 Tribeca Film Festival. Credit: Rob Kim / Getty Images

Rami Malek on the Red Carpet

Rami Malek on the Red Carpet

Rami Malek on the Red Carpet

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