Freddie Mercury is under pressure to make music history
in the new trailer for the upcoming Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody.
Rami Malek stars as the rock singer in the final preview for the historical music drama (directed by Bryan Singer, who was later fired and replaced with Dexter Fletcher), which follows the band’s rise to superstardom under Mercury’s guidance through to their iconic Live Aid performance in 1985.
“We’re four misfits who don’t belong together, playing for other misfits, you know? The outcasts right at the back of the room who are pretty sure they don’t belong either,” Malek says in the trailer while footage of the band’s successes and struggles plays. “We belong to them.”
The trailer also promises the film will explore Mercury’s sexuality, featuring a scene where a reporter asks a question about his orientation before the footage cuts to a shot of a man seemingly approaching him for a kiss. Mercury died in 1991 after a bout with bronchial pneumonia that stemmed from his AIDS diagnosis.
Despite overwhelming audience anticipation, early reactions to the film have been mixed, though critics universally praised Malek’s performance — expected to be a major player in the awards race ahead — as one of the best of the year.
