Ali G star Sacha Baron Cohen, who’s married to Australian actress Isla Fisher and welcomed his second baby recently, has signed up to play Queen vocalist Freddie Mercury in a new movie about the rock band. The film does not have a title, director or release date yet, but has a distributor – GK Film.
“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,” said Queen guitarist Brian May.
According to reports, Peter Morgan, who wrote Frost/Nixon and The Last King of Scotland, is apparently working on the screenplay. The film will be co-produced by Tribeca, Robert De Niro and Jane Rosenthal’s company and will span from Queen’s formation to their performance at 1985’s Live Aid. It is rumored it will include performances of the band’s classic hits Bohemian Rhapsody, We Will Rock You, and Another One Bites the Dust, but it is not known yet if Cohen will be singing.
“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,” said GK Films executive Graham King.
