Deadline Hollywood broke the story yesterday…the deal was finalized Thursday for Borat/Brüno actor/creator Sacha Baron Cohen to star in a new and still untitled film biography about Queen lead singer Freddie Mercury. This is NOT a comedy film but an actual authorized biopic which will feature the music of Queen and has a script from award winning screenwriter, Peter Morgan, best known for his films, “The Queen”, “Frost/Nixon” and “The Last King of Scotland”. A search is underway for a director and it’ll be at least a year or more before it hits cinemas. Cohen rose to fame on his outrageous comic creations of Ali G., Borat and Brüno but has also done some “straight” acting in films like “Sweeney Todd”. Nothing has been announced if Cohen will sing the notoriously difficult classic Queen songs, or if Freddie Mercury’s vocals will be used; Cohen demonstrated he has a strong voice in “Sweeney Todd” but it’s unknown if he has the range of Mercury…
Equally unknown, is how explicit the script goes in exploring the private life of the iconic gay singer; Mercury died in 1991 from AIDS related complications and was known for celebrating his sexual life to the fullest. What is known, is that Cohen shouldn’t have a problem with portraying the exhibitionist stage persona of Freddie Mercury, well known for his erotic posturings onstage and the flamboyant outfits he frequently removed while performing…we’ve ALL seen too many pictures of Mr Cohen prancing around in a banana hammock during the promotion for “Borat” a few years back…This is one of those movies that could be a huge trainwreck, or it could be Oscar time for the British actor. Screenwriter Morgan’s previous films have racked up an impressive number of Oscar nominations and wins. And while I love Johnny Depp, who it was rumored was being considered for the role, physically Sacha Baron Cohen is just about perfect casting…similar frame, coloring, and an awesome mat of chestal hirsuteness…Fabulous casting!
-Michael Strangeways
