Ali G and Borat star Sacha Baron Cohen is to play Freddie Mercury in a film about Queen, the rock band's guitarist Brian May has confirmed to the BBC.

"We have Sacha Baron Cohen, which will probably be a shock to a lot of people, but he's been talking with us for a long time," May told the HARDtalk show.

Frost/Nixon scribe Peter Morgan is writing the screenplay, he added.

The film, which will focus on the period leading up to Live Aid in 1985, will begin shooting next year.

"I think we'll try and keep ourselves out of it as much as we can," May said.

Baron Cohen had been "on this project since we started talking about it seriously with Peter Morgan a couple of years ago," he added.

May and Queen drummer Roger Taylor will oversee music featured in the film, which will include songs by the band and by Mercury as a solo performer.

Graham King, of GK Films, which is co-producing the movie along with Robert De Niro and Jane Rosenthal's production company Tribeca, said Queen was "a music brand all unto itself".

"Freddie Mercury was an awe-inspiring performer so with Sacha in the starring role, coupled with Peter's screenplay and the support of Queen, we have the perfect combination to tell the real story behind their success."

Morgan, whose previous works include the Oscar-nominated screenplays for The Queen and Frost/Nixon, is already working on the script for the as-yet-untitled project.

Queen's 21-minute appearance at the Live Aid concert at Wembley Stadium featured Bohemian Rhapsody, We Are The Champions and Radio Ga Ga. It is considered to be one of the classic rock performances.

NO!

They should have got Justin Hawkins.  That guy screams Freddie the moment he first believed in a thing called love.

Can't anyone learn to leave the classics alone?  ::)

I can see it.  I can see Justin Hawkins too though.

Can't anyone learn to leave the classics alone?  ::)


What do you mean alone?  Only classics will be learned or I will learn classics outside of the classroom?

Both are possible neither are preferable.  Right now, I am prepping to re-read Plato's "Republic."  I read it in college and I realized I barely knew what it was after 18 years.  I no only took out my old Plato, but the philosophical introductory book to read, and watching different lectures on Plato's "Republic" on you tube.  I do so before I dive into the document again.

Can't anyone learn to leave the classics alone?  ::)
It is a portrayal of Freddie Mercury in a film, and as far as I know there has not been a movie made on this subject before.

http://i.realone.com/assets/rn/img/0/4/2/9/14409240-14409242-large.jpg

What he needs to do is to slick his hair,jet black.

This is going to get mixed reviews.

Hey...I hoped "Weird Al" Yankovich would've done well as Willy Wonka in "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory". ::)

SBC certainly bears a resemblance to Freddie, so he has that going for him.

Personally I never understood all the hubbub about Freddie Mercury.  Yep he sang a few songs with Queen that were good, and I liked them.  But for my money, Paul Rogers (he of "Free", "Bad Company" and countless other projects), who has sang with Queen occasionally in place of Freddie, is a far better vocalist (his voice is his "imagery") and yet seems to rarely get his due when it comes to awards and whatnot.

This is going to get mixed reviews.

Hey...I hoped "Weird Al" Yankovich would've done well as Willy Wonka in "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory". ::)



But it was given to Johnny Depp instead.

SBC certainly bears a resemblance to Freddie, so he has that going for him.

Personally I never understood all the hubbub about Freddie Mercury.  Yep he sang a few songs with Queen that were good, and I liked them.  But for my money, Paul Rogers (he of "Free", "Bad Company" and countless other projects), who has sang with Queen occasionally in place of Freddie, is a far better vocalist (his voice is his "imagery") and yet seems to rarely get his due when it comes to awards and whatnot.



Freddie was a star.  A showman.  He had personality and fire.  And his voice was incredible!  Nothing against Paul Rogers, but how can you even compare the two?

Freddie was a star.  A showman.  He had personality and fire.  And his voice was incredible!  Nothing against Paul Rogers, but how can you even compare the two?


Vocally you can't.  Paul Rogers has been the prototypical rock singer since his awesome vocals in "All Right Now" with the band Free in 1970.  Far more garage bands have tried to emulate Paul's classic vocals than Queen's.  Freddie was a performer.  Paul was (and is) a rock singer; few people would ever recognize the face of Paul Rogers, but his voice is instantly recognizeable.

I think Sasha Baron Cohen could pull off an ok Freddie Mercury,I mean he has the british accent.

I have a feeling with Sasha in the role, this is going to play like a mockery of Freddie.
He's played movies which mock gays and mustachiioed guys, now he'll be playing a gay/bi mustachioed man. It's going to a piss on Freddie's memory fest.
Not right.