The British Isles have churned out some of the finest bands in musical history; from The Beatles to The Who, The Rolling Stones to Iron Maiden, and Genesis to Duran Duran; and now, one of Britain’s best known, and most beloved groups; Queen; is getting its own biopic.
The film; which has been written by Frost/Nixon scribe Peter Morgan; will follow Queen from their formative years, and right through their huge rise to success, culminating with their appearance at the Live Aid concert in 1985; an appearance that’s since been voted as the ‘Greatest Live Gig Ever’, thanks to the song choices (which included Bohemian Rhapsody, Radio Ga Ga, and We Will Rock You; which was sung word-for-word by the attending crowd).
But the most surprising piece of information regarding the upcoming movie, is the fact that Queen’s legendary front-man; Freddie Mercury; is due to be played by Sacha Baron Cohen; the Big Breakfast presenter whose Ali G persona shot him to worldwide fame, morphed him into Borat, and later Bruno.
Yet, while Sacha may not have been the first name that jumped to mind when many people first heard of a Queen movie, there’s little denying that he should easily be able to pull off Freddie’s memorable look (and mustache), and as he had to provide a singing audition for Sweeney Todd (and a small singing part in the movie), there’s a good chance that he might be able to do at least a half-decent job of the vocals (because mimicking the vocal talents of Freddie would be a big ask for even the world’s most professional singers).
Graham King; of GK Films; believes that “Queen is one of the greatest rock bands of all time” and that “with Sacha in the starring role, couple with Peter’s screenplay, and the support of Queen, we have the perfect combination to tell the real story behind their success”; a story that, thanks to a deal King has secured, will include all of Queen’s most famous hits; from the songs mentioned earlier, to Another One Bites the Dust, We Are the Champions, and many more.
