Sacha Baron Cohen will not get to make the tell-all biopic on Queen lead singer Freddie Mercury. The remaining members of the band reportedly disagreed with Cohen’s vision and the Les Miserables actor decided to give up and leave the project.
Deadline broke the news Monday, reporting that Cohen had wanted to make a detailed, true-to-life story about Mercury’s wild life, which is hardly family-friendly material. But the remaining members of Queen - guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor - had final approval of every creative aspect of the project and wanted to make a PG-rated version.
Despite the directing talent Cohen had brought in - including his Les Miserables director Tom Hooper, director David Fincher and writer Peter Morgan - the members of the band turned him down at every suggestion. So, the Borat star just decided to leave the project altogether.
Cohen first agreed to play the late Mercury in September 2010. Cohen has a remarkable resemblance to Mercury, but he also had a passion for the project. Sony Pictures and GK Films might still work on it, but they’ll have a hard time finding a director and actor willing to give up so much creative control to the members of the band.
Mercury died in 1991 from AIDS. Queen continues to perform, with American Idol’s Adam Lambert being the most recent singer to take on the songs. Bassist John Deacon does not perform with the group.
image: Wikimedia Commons
