English comedian and actor Sacha Baron Cohen is set to play legendary Queen frontman Freddie Mercury in an upcoming film.
Deadline.com reports that Cohen, who shot to fame with his outrageous Brüno, Borat and Ali G characters, will portray the British rocker in a film centred on the group’s developing years up until their historic 1985 Live Aid set.
Rights to iconic Queen tunes such as “Another One Bites the Dust,” “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “We Are the Champions” and “We Will Rock You,” have been secured for the film. GK Films, Robert De Niro’s Tribeca Productions and Queen Films are reportedly helming the project.
The upcoming film, which is scheduled to begin production in 2011, is not the first time the band’s famed repertoire has been given the Hollywood treatment. The stage production “We Will Rock You” has been running in London since 2002.
