Queen Posts Update on Freddie Mercury Biopic
Queen, currently on tour with Adam Lambert, has announced that it will indeed rock us — on the big screen.
The group has issued a statement on its official website that the biopic Bohemian Rhapsody — The Film, is getting underway, with filming expected to begin soon with Bryan Singer directing and Mr. Robot‘s Rami Malek starring as Freddie Mercury.
The news follows a few years of fits and starts, including a split with original star Sascha Baron Cohen. But the online statement from Queen indicates things are hunky dory at the moment:
“Yes folks, it IS finally happening. You’ve been hearing rumours about ‘Bohemian Rhapsody -The Film’ for some time. So starting right now, here’s what we can confirm at this stage. Award winning director Bryan Singer is the man who will be bringing the Queen and Freddie story alive. 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. 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 the film. More on that very soon. Rami Malek has signed up to take on the challenging role of Freddie Mercury. Who could imagine a more perfect fit than this brilliant actor? At this stage you probably know him best for TV’s ‘Mr Robot.;
“Rami has great presence and he’s utterly dedicated to the project. He’s completely living and breathing Freddie already, which is wonderful,” says (Queen drummer) Roger (Taylor). Roger and Brian (May) of course are serving as the film’s executive music producers. After months of speculation, we can confirm that the film is now ‘as-close-as-that’ to start of shooting. Pre-production begins next week in the UK to prepare for start of principal photography in around London as soon as mid-September. You are probably wondering, who will play Roger, Brian and John (Deacon)??? That, friends, is news for another day.”
Queen + Adam Lambert, meanwhile, is on the road in North American through August 5, with a European tour slated for later this year.
Gary Graff is an award-winning music journalist who not only covers music but has written books on Bob Seger, Neil Young and Bruce Springsteen.
