A biopic of Queen frontman Freddie Mercury has been in the works for quite some time. In an inspired bit of casting, Sacha Baron Cohen is attached to star as the famed rock musician, and now the project is close to landing a director. Variety reports that Stephen Frears (The Queen) is the frontrunner to land the directing job, though negotiations have yet to begin. Apparently other filmmakers are still in the mix, but Frears “has the inside track.” In addition to more serious fare like The Queen and Dangerous Liasons, Frears also directed the excellent 2000 music-centered dramedy High Fidelity. Hit the jump for more.
Steve sat down with producer Graham King late last year, and he revealed that it’s possible that Cohen might be singing Queen songs himself in the biopic. He stretched his vocal chops in Sweeney Todd, but I’m not too sure if he can match Mercury’s range. Peter Morgan (The Queen) wrote the latest draft of the script, and the story will follow Queen’s formation up through their famous appearance at Live Aid in 1985. The film will not, however, cover Mercury’s death in 1991 after battling AIDS.
I think Cohen is the perfect cast for this. Lets hope the team can bring Justice to Mercury's legacy
Our main agenda was the Freddie film … which, I'm happy to tell you, is on course. The pieces are all falling into place, though we are now on a slightly later schedule -- filming is now scheduled to start in the Spring, with Sacha Baron Cohen playing Freddie. The film should be ready for release early in 2014.
Our main agenda was the Freddie film … which, I'm happy to tell you, is on course. The pieces are all falling into place, though we are now on a slightly later schedule -- filming is now scheduled to start in the Spring, with Sacha Baron Cohen playing Freddie. The film should be ready for release early in 2014.
Our main agenda was the Freddie film … which, I'm happy to tell you, is on course. The pieces are all falling into place, though we are now on a slightly later schedule -- filming is now scheduled to start in the Spring, with Sacha Baron Cohen playing Freddie. The film should be ready for release early in 2014.
Finally, I’m hearing there could be a potential match between Tom Hooper and the Peter Morgan-scripted film about icon Queen lead singer Freddie Mercury that is set at Sony Pictures and GK Films. Sacha Baron Cohen, who just worked with Hooper on Best Picture Oscar nominee Les Miserables, has long been attached to play Mercury, one of the most gifted rock frontmen to grace the stage. From what I’m hearing, there is no formal offer at the moment and there are several offers for Hooper, who before Les Miserables helmed the Best Picture-winning The King’s Speech. But keep an eye on this one, which Graham King and Tim Headington are producing with Robert De Niro and Jane Rosenthal, with Queen Films.
Yeah, Hooper's possible addition is really really not a good idea; not only was his Les Mis direction stiff and lacking in any real feel for the rhythms of a musical (I empathically do not want to see a Freddie Mercury biopic consisting mainly of Mercury in close-up, shrieking Queen songs into our faces), but he also massively overindulged Baron Cohen, resulting in a lazy, flabby performance. What's needed here is someone like Todd Haynes or Sofia Coppola, who can pull off giddy decadence whilst still keeping the performances disciplined.
