RAMI Malek has been confirmed to play the iconic Freddie Mercury in an upcoming biopic on the frontman's life.

The Mr Robot actor, 35, has become a cult favourite thanks to his turn as Elliot Alderson, a hacker/cyber-security engineer in the smash hit Amazon Prime series.

5 Rami Malek has enjoyed cult success as Elliot Alderson in Mr Robot Credit: Getty

News of the star taking on the role was confirmed by X-Men director Bryan Singer, who announced the casting on his Instagram page using an iconic picture of Queen in the Bohemian Rhapsody video.

He wrote underneath it: "Looking forward to@ramimalek @whoismrrobot playing#Freddie" alongside a series of hashtags including the names of all four Queen members, Bohemian Rhapsody and the band's name.

At this year's Emmy awards, Rami's performance in the show earned him a Best Actor nod, beating front-runner Kevin Spacey for his role in House of Cards in the process.

The new role will see him take on the challenge of playing eccentric Queen frontman Freddie, who died in 1991 at the age of 45 following complications related to the AIDS virus.

5 Freddie Mercury became a legend as the lead singer of Queen Credit: Getty

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5 Rami took home the Emmy for Best Actor this year Credit: John Shearer/WireImage

Fellow band members Brian May and Roger Taylor are reported to be on board with the film as music producers.

Bohemian Rhapsody, which has been reportedly in production for the past eight years, was originally going to be led by comedian Sacha Baron Cohen, who pulled out from the role earlier this year.

5 Sacha Baron Cohen was originally attached to the role, but he pulled out earlier this year Credit: SiriusXM

Sacha, most famed for characters Borat and Ali G, blamed "artistic differences" as the reason behind him leaving - specifically, a disagreement with the screenplay and the story being told.

Speaking to US radio host Howard Stern in March, he said: "A member of the band – I won’t say who – said: ‘You know, this is such a great movie because it’s got such an amazing thing that happens in the middle.’”

5 Bohemian Rhapsody will focus on the life of Freddie as well as the band Queen Credit: Getty

“And I go: ‘What happens in the middle of the movie?’ He goes: ‘You know, Freddie dies.’ … I go: ‘What happens in the second half of the movie?’ He goes: ‘We see how the band carries on from strength to strength.’

“I said: ‘Listen, not one person is going to see a movie where the lead character dies from Aids and then you see how the band carries on.’”

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