Borat Rhapsody! Queen’s manager confirms Sacha Baron Cohen will star, write, produce and direct Freddie Mercury biopic
By HANNA FLINT FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 13:04, 28 March2020 | UPDATED: 18:08, 28 March2020
It has been confirmed that Sacha Baron Cohen will play Freddie Mercury in a Queen biopic.
The British actor – famous for his controversial roles as Ali G, Borat and Bruno – will also produce, write and direct the film, according to the band’s manager Jim Beach.
Beach announced the news on Thursday night at the Artist & Management Awards at London’s Troxy.
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He wants to break free! It has been confirmed that Sacha Baron Cohen will play Freddie Mercury in a Queen biopic
‘You have probably followed the saga of the famous Queen-Freddie Mercury biopic which has been developing in Hollywood for the last seven years,’ the manager told the audience.
‘An important breakthrough is that we have now managed to persuade Sacha Baron Cohen to write, produce and direct this movie, and he has also agreed to star.’
MailOnline have contacted Baron Cohen’s representatives for comment.
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Finally: The talk of a biopic, centered on Freddie Mercury, has been heard for the last seven years and will now finally be made, according to the band’s manager Jim Beach
Queen’s surviving members Brian May and Roger Taylor had not always been supportive of Sacha’s involvement in the project, and those ‘creative differences’ were allegedly the reason the actor dropped out in 2024.
‘In the end, we felt that his presence in the movie would be very distracting. What led us to that conclusion was the last three movies that he’s made – The Dictator, Les Miserables and Hugo,’ Brian said at the time.
‘He makes outstanding performances but they’re very much Sacha Baron Cohen performances.
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Dismay: Queen’s surviving members Brian May (top left) and Roger Taylor (bottom right) had not always been supportive of Sacha’s involvement in the project
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Fame: The British star is famous for creating controversial characters Ali G (L) and Borat
May added: ‘And we thought there has to be no distraction in the Freddie movie — we didn’t think that could really happen with Sacha.’
Following Cohen’s departure, there was talk that James Bond star Ben Whishaw was up for the role, after Brian publicly said he’d love the actor to portray Mercury.
However, it seems now that Brian, Roger and Sacha have managed to overcome their issues to get the ball finally rolling on the biopic.
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Not a fan: After seeing Sacha in The Dictator, Brian May was not convinced of him taking the role of Freddie
Read more: Sacha Baron Cohen to star, write, produce and direct Freddie Mercury biopic | Daily Mail Online