Deadline are carrying an exclusive this morning that Sacha Baron Cohen has signed to play Freddie Mercury in a new film, due to go into production next year.
The film is being scripted by Peter Morgan (The Last King of Scotland, Frost/Nixon and, ironically, The Queen) and will be co-produced by Robert De Niro’s production company, Tribeca.
Morgan is apparently already beavering away on the screenplay, which will cover Queen’s formative years and lead up to their sensational performance at Live Aid in 1985 (see below). Although Freddie Mercury’s sad death from an AIDS-related illness in 1991 might be seen to be a significant potential dramatic touchstone for the film, it is not understood to be part of the story on which Morgan is working.
Deadline report further that the producers have secured the rights to such Queen classics as Bohemian Rhapsody, Another One Bites The Dust, We are the Champions and We Will Rock You, although it is unclear yet whether Mercury’s singing will be used or whether Sacha Baron Cohen will have a crack at singing the songs.
Obviously Joaquin Phoenix did a good job of belting out Johnny Cash’s songs for Walk The Line, however Angela Basset went the miming route for Tina Turner. Although Sacha Baron Cohen’s singing voice may prove to be excellent, it feels like Mercury’s voice is so distinctive, so iconic, so peerless that it might be a tall order for Cohen to do it justice.
What is clear, is that Sacha Baron Cohen is an excellent match for Mercury in terms of his appearance and although our main experience of him so far has been in a comedy vein (Talladega Nights, Borat, Bruno, Madagascar), I just get the sense that he is one of those comedy performers who will be able to make the transition to a dramatic role easily, like Peter Sellers, Will Smith or Jim Carrey.
No director has been attached to the project yet. We will bring you more news as this intriguing production develops. In the meantime, feel free to comment below on whether Sacha Baron Cohen seems like a good choice, or whether someone else might better fill Mercury’s shoes.
You can click through here for the rest of the Deadline story.
