Rami Malek, 2015 breakout star of USA Network series Mr. Robot, has landed his first leading film role.
Malek is set to star in Buster’s Mal Heart, an independent film directed by Sarah Adina Smith, reported The Hollywood Reporter. The film is funded by Gamechanger Films, and will also star Kate Lyn Sheil (House of Cards), DJ Qualls (The Man in High Castle) and Toby Huss (Halt and Catch Fire).
Malek, 34, is no stranger to the big screen, having played supporting roles in recent hits such as Need for Speed, Short Term 12 and also in the Night at the Museum trilogy; however, Buster’s Mal Heart will be his first foray as a leading Hollywood man.
In the film, Malek will play an eccentric vagabond trying to elude authorities by hiding out in an empty vacation home. However, he is bothered by a recurring nightmare of being lost at sea, only to discover a haunting realization about his true identity.
Little detail is known about Buster’s Mal Heart at this time, although it has been reported that Lin Shaye (Insidious), Lance Barber (The Comeback), Mark Kelly (Do-Deca Pentathalon), Bruce Bundy (The Hunger Games) and Teresa Yenque (The Affair) will also feature.
Malek’s turn as a leading man comes on the heels of a breakout 2015 for him, in which he starred in the television revelation Mr. Robot, where he plays a disenfranchised, anti-social computer programmer who gets recruited by an elite underground hacker group to bring down corporate America.
The show, created by Sam Esmail, premiered to overwhelmingly positive reviews, and has already been picked up for a second season.