For years, Sacha Baron Cohen was attached to play Freddie Mercury in a biopic about the Queen frontman.  However, Baron Cohen dropped out earlier this year due to creative differences with the Mercury's Queen bandmates.  The remaining Queen members identified Ben Whishaw as their ideal choice in October.  Whishaw reportedly screen tested for the juicy role last month, and Deadline confirms Whishaw has landed the part.  Additionally, Dexter Fletcher (Wild Bill) has signed on to direct.  Hopefully this is the iteration that will get off the ground, because Whishaw is a promising young talent and I am curious to see what he can do as Mercury.

The script by Peter Morgan (Rush) starts with Queen’s formation in the early 1970s and ends around their 1985 Live Aid set, which you can watch in full after the jump.