Freddie Mercury Movie Is ‘Finally Happening’ With Director Bryan Singer
Queen have announced that the long-awaited and highly anticipated official biopic of their late singer Freddie Mercury is “finally happening” after spending years in production hell. And they’ve confirmed that X-Men director Bryan Singer is on board for the film, titled Bohemian Rhapsody, alongside Mr. Robot star Rami Malek in the leading role.
The movie is set to feature the band’s legendary appearance at Live Aid in 1985 as a “key sequence” in the story, said guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor, who serve as the film's executive producers. It’s anticipated that the project will be moving forward in the very near future.
Queen have been in discussions about the film for more a decade, with a number of big names, including Sacha Baron Cohen, attached at various times. Last year, May reported that they’d finally secured a “really, really great script.”
“If you’ve ever seen Singer’s X-Men films, or the groundbreaking movie The Usual Suspects, you’ll know this is a director with extraordinary imagination and style," the band said in a statement. "A perfect choice to recreate the fabulous Queen years, which brought us such unforgettable moments as Live Aid – which we can reveal will be faithfully recreated for a key sequence in the film.”
“We’ve been 12 years on this trail, but I think we’re very close now to an announcement, which will signify that Fox has given the green light to actually supply the money," May told Rolling Stone. "We’re very close.”
Malik and Singer have been connected with the project since November, after a two-year stall caused by creative differences with previous director Dexter Fletcher, who had cast Ben Winshaw as Mercury.
The iconic frontman died in 1991 as a result of complications from AIDS. Last week, a former Queen roadie revealed that the band had recorded several songs with David Bowie during a session in the ‘80s, although “Under Pressure” was the only track to see official release.
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