Ready, Freddie? 20th Century Fox has just released the new trailer for the upcoming film Bohemian Rhapsody. The film stars Rami Malek, Lucy Boynton, Gwilym Lee, Ben Hardy, Joseph Mazzello, Aidan Gillen, Tom Hollander, and Mike Myers.
Bohemian Rhapsody is a foot-stomping celebration of Queen, their music and their extraordinary lead singer Freddie Mercury. Freddie defied stereotypes and shattered convention to become one of the most beloved entertainers on the planet. The film traces the meteoric rise of the band through their iconic songs and revolutionary sound. They reach unparalleled success, but in an unexpected turn Freddie, surrounded by darker influences, shuns Queen in pursuit of his solo career. Having suffered greatly without the collaboration of Queen, Freddie manages to reunite with his bandmates just in time for Live Aid. While bravely facing a recent AIDS diagnosis, Freddie leads the band in one of the greatest performances in the history of rock music. Queen cements a legacy that continues to inspire outsiders, dreamers and music lovers to this day.
When the first trailer for Bohemian Rhapsody was released, many were upset that Freddie Mercury's sexuality wasn't touched upon. Extremely vocal was American Gods and Star Trek Discovery creator Bryan Fuller, who openly bashed the first trailer for misrepresenting who Freddie Mercury was. This latest sneak peek sets out to rectify that.
The two and a half minute trailer throttles forth at an exhilarating pace, and it's jam-packed with the iconic Queen music as we watch the band go from its infancy to superstardom in the blink of an eye. Though it's out to rock the viewer, this new footage also takes a much more somber approach.
Rami Malek is back putting his frontman on display in true rocking fashion. He is able to channel the pure essence of Freddie Mercury and it's mesmerizing. Though, things take a dark turn when Freddie makes a comment about his AIDS diagnosis. We hear someone say, 'I just need a bit of time.' To this, Mercury responds, 'What if I don't have time?'
The way the trailer is cut, it's hard to distinguish if this is two separate scenes pulled together for the trailer, or if this is a single scene from the movie. The 20th Century Fox synopsis seen above drives this point home, though. And the end of the movie will see Freddie dealing with his illness as he sets out to give one of the band's all-time great performances, which went onto become one of the best live performances in history from any band.
Along with Freddie's AIDS declaration, Freddie's sexuality is brought to the surface unlike in that original trailer. When a reporter asks the singer about his private life, Mercury is dismissive of the question.
Bohemian Rhapsody will finally be in theaters this fall, arriving November 2 after many stops and starts in the production process. The film hit a major snag when it was close to wrapping, with director Bryan Singer going off the rails. Although he was replaced on set by director Dexter Fletcher, who completed the film on time, Singer will be getting sole credit for what we see on screen. You can check out the latest trailer here.