Rami Malek to join 'Mr. Robot' creator Sam Esmail and star in 'American Radical'
Deadline reports that Universal had obtained the rights to Tamer Elnoury's and Kevin Maurer's 'American Radical: Inside the World of an Undercover Muslim FBI Agent,' and has plans to adapt the popular memoir into a fully-fledged television show.
'Mr. Robot' creator Sam Esmail has reportedly been attached to direct and produce the thriller and will reunite with the Emmy Award-winning Rami Malek, who played the leading role of Elliot Anderson in the USA Network drama, for the project. The series is currently still in the developmental stages and the search for a writer is said to be underway.
'American Radical' was published in October 2017 and revealed, for the first time, the viewpoint of an active Muslim American federal agent, and coincidentally, co-author, Tamer Elnoury, and his experience in infiltrating and bringing down a terror cell in North America.
Elnoury was a longtime undercover agent who joined an elite counterterrorism unit after the events of September 11, 2001. The express purpose of this unit was to gain the trusts of terrorists whose goals were to take out as many Americans in as public and as devastating a way as possible.
In what turned out to be a furious race against the clock, Elnoury and his unit had to stop the terrorists before they got the opportunity to implement their plans. Because he still works at the FBI, Elnoury is a pseudonym for his real name. For those who have not read the book, 'American Radical' will come as a revelation to many Americans as they learn of the existence of his unit and the vital and dangerous work they do in keeping the country safe.
Esmail and Chad Hamilton will be producing the show for Esmail Corporation and Anonymous Content respectively, with Malek acting as producer as well. All three had previously collaborated and worked together on 'Mr. Robot.' Executive vice president of production Mark Sourian and creative executive Lexi Barta will oversee the film for Universal.
Malek is set for a busy year. The actor, who previously appeared in roles in 'The Pacific,' 'Larry Crowne,' and Fox series '24,' will portray legendary Queen frontman Freddie Mercury in the upcoming biographical drama 'Bohemian Rhapsody,' which is set for a November release.
Malek will also co-star alongside Charlie Hunnam (Pacific Rim, The Lost City of Z) as Louis Dega in a contemporary remake of the 1973 film Papillon. While it premiered at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival last September, Bleecker Street will be releasing the film this coming August. 'Mr. Robot' has renewed for a fourth season as well.
As for Esmail, he's currently caught up with and directing and producing Universal Cable Productions/Amazon venture 'Homecoming,' which stars the likes of Julia Roberts, Stephan James, Bobby Cannavale, Alex Karpovsky, and Shea Whigham.