Music | Pop Culture | 70s | 90s | 80s
They've Announced Who's Playing Queen In The New Movie And It Will Rock You
Queen is one of the most universally loved rock groups of all time. It seems like no matter how old you are, the second Bohemian Rhapsody comes on the radio you will not be able to resist the urge to sing along.
The film industry obviously realizes this and has been trying to put together some kind of biopic about the band for years now. Originally, Sasha Baron Cohen (Borat) was signed on to play the lead singer Freddie Mercury, but it didn't work out.
He left the project citing differing opinions with the band members, “A member of the band – I won’t say who – said: ‘You know, this is such a great movie because it’s got such an amazing thing that happens in the middle.’"
Baron Cohen was confused by the statement but he explained that he continued "And I go: 'What happens in the middle of the movie? He goes: ‘You know, Freddie dies.’ ... I go: ‘What happens in the second half of the movie?’ He goes: ‘We see how the band carries on from strength to strength.’"
This is where he disagreed with the band member, “I said: ‘Listen, not one person is going to see a movie where the lead character dies from Aids and then you see how the band carries on.'"
Cohen said that "There are amazing stories about Freddie Mercury. The guy was wild. There are stories of little people walking around parties with plates of cocaine on their heads!” but the band didn't want these stories to be the focus of the movie because "they wanted to protect their legacy as a band."
After this project disbanded, it took awhile for the new cast to be found. Finding someone who could handle the subject matter while also protecting the legacy was tough, but now the cast for the whole band, including Freddie Mercury, has been confirmed and it's pretty exciting!
Band member Brian May disagrees with Sacha Baron Cohen's details of the story, and said "Sacha became an arse. We had some nice times with Sacha kicking around ideas but he went off and told untruths about what happened.”
A lot of really exciting casting choices have been made for this movie, check out who will be representing your favorite band below.
Lead Singer: Freddie Mercury
After parting ways with Baron Cohen, they have found the new front man for their movie in an Emmy winning actor. Rami Malek, who you may know from Mr. Robot, has signed on to play the iconic character of Freddie Mercury and according to May the entire band is thrilled about it. He said "Rami has great presence and he’s utterly dedicated to the project. He’s completely living and breathing Freddie already, which is wonderful."
Lead Guitarist: Brian May
Brian May has been heavily involved in the making of this movie, and has now found someone that he trusts to get it right. Gwilyn Lee is maybe not a household name, but he has been on a lot of TV shows in the UK and also stared in The Tourist.
Drummer: Roger Taylor
The drummer of the band will be played by Joe Mazzello who you may remember from movies like The Social Network, television shows like Pacific or Justified, but most likely you will recognize him from the classic 90s movie Jurassic Park. Mazzello played the young Tim Murphy who loved dinosaurs.
Bassist: John Deacon
John Deacon was not only the bassist of the band, but also was responsible for managing their money while also composing a number of their songs. The important role will be played by Ben Hardy who was just in X-Men: Apocalypse where he played Warren Worthington/Archangel.
The film will be called Bohemian Rhapsody and will be directed by Bryan Singer. Apparently the details of the film will all be fact checked by Queen archivist Greg Brooks and there will be an opportunity for fans to make it into the movie. Apparently they will be updating their site regularly with details on how to get a spot as an extra.
In their website announcement they said "The feedback from the extras agency was also quite phenomenal! They were inundated with fans from across the globe looking to grab a chance of being part of the movie, so thanks for your enthusiasm, it really did bring a smile to our faces…or was it just that there are lots of people out there with 70s and 80s haircuts looking to break into the movies? Either way, once again, Queen fans lead the way and for that, we salute you."
They say that filming is "starting very, very soon" so keep your eyes open for some new details and maybe a sneak peek on how accurate their wigs are going to be!