Rami Malek totally embodies Freddie Mercury in first look at singer’s biopic

Entertainment Weekly shared an exclusive first look at Rami Malek starring in Bohemian Rhapsody, wherein he plays the late Queen frontman Freddie Mercury.

How does someone fill the shoes of Freddie Mercury, one of the most iconic frontmen in rock history? Short answer: you don’t. But according to Queen lead guitarist Brian May, Emmy-winning actor Rami Malek is “completely living and breathing Freddie.” May is co-producing the biopic Bohemian Rhapsody alongside Queen drummer Roger Taylor.

The praise is notable, coming from one of Mercury’s bandmates. It bodes well for the upcoming film, since it’s been scrapped several times. Now the film is finally in motion, with director Bryan Singer at the helm.

So it’s no surprise that Malek looks incredible in Entertainment Weekly‘s exclusive first look at the film. On Tuesday, the magazine tweeted an image of Malek in full Mercury costume; several people on Twitter confessed to having to look twice. The resemblance — in appearance, but also energy — is frankly uncanny.

The preview’s release date was no coincidence. Mercury would have turned 71 on Tuesday, had he not succumbed to the AIDs virus in 1991. Bohemian Rhapsody won’t cover that part of the singer’s life, according to Singer. The film instead follows the formation of Queen in 1970 up until the band’s performance in Live AID in 1985.

Malek’s got the look and the vibe, but has he got the voice?

Freddie Mercury was known for his incredible four-octave range, a skill few can claim. According to Malek’s comments in EW, “We’re going to use Freddie as much as possible and use myself as much as possible. I’m in Abbey Road [Studios] right now if that should say anything to you. I’m not working on my acting.”

In addition to sound clips of Mercury and Malek’s own voice, a “sound-alike” will be used to fill in any gaps.

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Bohemian Rhapsody is slated to come out on Christmas in 2018.