Those fans should then be thrilled to hear that Malek is in negotiations to join the cast of the PAPILLON remake, which also stars Charlie Hunnam.
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Hunnam will play the character played by McQueen while Malek will play the character originally played by Hoffman.
It was announced back in 2015 that Papillon – the Steve McQueen movie about a prisoner attempting escape that isn’t The Great Escape – is getting remade by Danish director Michael Noer (via the production company Red Granite, which, interestingly, may itself be in some trouble with the law). The film’s producing team includes Joey McFarland, Riza Aziz, David Koplan, Ram Bergman, and Roger Corbi. The 1973 film, based on the memoir by Henri Charrière, who, at least per the book was imprisoned for a murder he did not commit. That’s the role Malek will play; their relationship starts with Charriere providing protection for Dega from fellow thug inmates, and it grows into a bond and Degas agrees to finance Papillon’s prison escape. As Jacob put it when we first reported on the project, “it’s like The Shawshank Redemption stripped of warm feelings and joy”.
The Papillon remake has plans to shoot in Belgrade, Serbia, Montenegro and Thailand.
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Although he’s been acting for several years, Malek only recently broke out with his lead role in the acclaimed United States of America series Mr. Robot, in which he plays a hacker coping with mental health issues.
