Rami Malek, leading star of the so-hot-right-now cyber-thriller Mr. Robot, has today landed his first major role. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the up-and-comer has agreed a deal to topline Sarah Adina Smith’s mystery drama Buster’s Mal Heart.
Financed by Gamechanger Films, Smith’s indie feature has already recruited the likes of DJ Qualls, Toby Huss and House of Cards alum Kate Lyn Sheil. It;s Malek who will spearhead the drama, however, as an eccentric recluse who lives out his days in the mountains, breaking into one vacation home after another in order to survive through the harsh winters.
During his illicit escapades – which ought to be right in Malek’s wheelhouse after Mr. Robot – our protagonist is plagued by a series of vivid and indeed recurring dreams; dreams that cast him astray at sea without a hope. As the narrative unfolds, Malek’s character learns that the dreams are in fact real, and that his conscious is inexplicably split across two bodies in two very different locations. It’s this mind-bending plot that will underpin Buster’s Mal Heart.
As we alluded to earlier, today’s announcement heralds the first major breakthrough for Malek, who has cropped up across numerous high-profile films in minor roles, including the likes of Need for Speed, Short Term 12 and alongside Ben Stiller in the Night at the Museum. Buster’s Mal Heart is a very different kettle of fish, however, and even going off of Smith’s directorial debut – last year’s genre-twisting The Midnight Swim – there’s certainly a lot of potential brimming under the surface of the filmmaker’s latest creative venture.
Lin Shaye, Lance Barber, Mark Kelly, Bruce Bundy and Teresa Yenque are also set to star in Buster’s Mal Heart, and we’ll keep you updated on the status of the indie drama as this story develops.