Rami Malek to star in biopic based on Buster Keaton

The development of a limited series based on the life of silent movie icon Buster Keaton is under development by Warner Bros Television. The buzz around the project suggests that 'Bohemian Rhapsody' actor Rami Malek would star as Keaton in the series.

According to Variety, a US-based news outlet, the limited series would be directed by "The Batman" filmmaker Matt Reeves, who would also produce it under his 6th and Idaho Productions label. Warner Bros TV has an overall arrangement with Reeves. Additionally, Ted Cohen is in conversations to serve as executive producer and writer, along with Malek and David Weddle. The studio is negotiating the rights to James Curtis' 2022 biography "Buster Keaton: A Filmmaker's Life," which might serve as the basis for the series.

Apart from Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton is regarded as one of the most well-known actors of the silent film era.

Keaton was born in 1895 and died in 1966. He began performing as a child with his touring actor's parents in vaudeville acts before switching to film in the late 1910s.

The silent comedy "The Butcher Boy," directed by Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, was Keaton's debut feature. He developed a reputation for performing exaggerated stunts and physical humour with a deadpan facial expression while working with high-ranking creatives and executives like Douglas Fairbanks, Joseph M Schenck, and Edward F Cline.

He started directing after he and Schenck established Buster Keaton Productions, with some of his most well-known works being "Sherlock Jr.," "Steamboat Bill, Jr.," and "Our Hospitality," among others.

Keaton continued to work under contracts with Columbia Pictures, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, and a number of independent companies.

Malek is most recognised for his roles as Freddie Mercury in Bryan Singer's 2018 biopic "Bohemian Rhapsody" and Elliot Alderson in USA's "Mr Robot" from 2015 to 2019. He won the best actor prize for the latter at various award ceremonies, including the Oscars.

In addition to "The Pacific" on HBO and "The War at Home" on Fox, Malek has also been in the films "Short Term 12," "Papillon," and "No Time to Die."