Rami Malek
Will the actor play Buster Keaton soon?
Will actor Rami Malek (left) soon slip into the role of legendary silent film star Buster Keaton (right)?
© imago images/i Images / imago/Ronald Grant
Oscar winner Rami Malek is said to be in talks for a series about silent film legend Buster Keaton.
Oscar winner Rami Malek (41) is said to be in talks for the role of Buster Keaton (1895-1966) in a series about the silent film legend. That reports “Variety”. Accordingly, “The Batman” director Matt Reeves (56) will produce and direct the series for Warner Bros. Television. It will be based on Keaton’s life and will star Malek, who will also produce the project alongside David Weddle. According to the report, Ted Cohen is on tap as executive producer and writer.
Buster Keaton biography as a template?
As “Variety” continues, James Curtis’ (70) 2022 biography “Buster Keaton: A Filmmaker’s Life” could serve as the starting material for the series, as the studio is negotiating the rights to the book.
Along with Charlie Chaplin (1889-1977) and Harold Lloyd (1893-1971), Keaton is considered an icon of the silent film era. He began his career as a child on the stage of his parents’ traveling theater. In the late 1910s he got into film. Keaton’s first film was the silent comedy The Butcher Boy (1917), in which he acted impromptu and improvised his role. Despite the lower pay at the time, he gave up his theater career for the film.
His over the top stunts and physical comedy made him well known. His expressionless facial expressions became his trademark. Later he also directed himself, responsible for silent films like “Sherlock, Jr.”, but also talkies with “Too hot to touch”.
Malek doing the Mercury again?
Rami Malek’s biopic talent was revealed in ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ when he performed the role of Freddie Mercury with stunning authenticity. Recordings of real Queen concerts were almost indistinguishable from the depiction of the 41-year-old. This earned him the Oscar for best actor in 2019. If he were equally convincing in the role of Buster Keaton, he would certainly be a good choice.
Malek is also known for the role of Elliot Alderson in the US series “Mr. Robot” (2015-2019) or as the antagonist Lyutsifer Safin in “James Bond: No Time to Die” (2021).
Will there be a movie alongside the series?
Already in February 2022 had reported “Deadline” citing its own sourcesthat “Indiana Jones 5” director James Mangold (59) should shoot a Buster Keaton biopic for 20th Century Studios. Mangold should direct and produce, it said. However, the film is said to be based on Marion Meade’s “Buster Keaton: Cut to the Chase” (1995) and not on Curtis’ work. According to “Deadline”, those responsible had made the project “one of their top priorities”. However, these plans have been quiet since February.