Sacha Baron Cohen to Play Freddie Mercury in Queen Biopic Scripted by Peter Morgan

Here’s a bit of exciting casting news: Sacha Baron Cohen (Borat) has signed on to play Queen frontman Freddie Mercury in an upcoming biopic.  The film will be written by Peter Morgan (Frost/Nixon, The Queen) and will focus on “the band’s formative years, leading up to Queen’s appearance at Live Aid in 1985.”  According to Deadline, a rights package has been set for the band’s music, but it’s still unknown if Cohen will be providing his own vocals, or whether Mercury’s voice will be used.

This won’t be Cohen’s first foray into musicals given his memorable appearance in Tim Burton’s Sweeney Todd.  The comedian is, in my opinion, a perfect and excellent choice to play Mercury, and I look forward to seeing who signs on to direct the film.  I would also love to see Cohen attempt to match Mercury’s unique and amazing vocals, but I wouldn’t hold it against him if he decides to lip synch his way through the film.  In the meantime, you can next see Cohen starring in Martin Scorsese’s Hugo Cabret, which is set to open next December.