BREAKING… EXCLUSIVE… Sacha Baron Cohen is just not seeing eye to eye with the remaining members of Queen who have script and director approval over that biopic on iconic lead singer Freddie Mercury. That film had Cohen circling the role but I’ve just learned he’s now pulled out. The reason is that the band wanted to make more of a PG movie about Queen while Cohen was counting on a gritty R-rated tell-all centered around the gifted gay singer. Given the astonishing physical resemblance, it’s hard to imagine anyone else playing Freddie but Sacha. Cohen had brought in Peter Morgan to write and various directors including David Fincher and Tom Hooper to develop the project for himself. However, none were approved by the band. Film is set at Sony Pictures and GK Films and Cohen has long been attached to play Mercury. But because of the dispute over ‘creative differences’ no formal offer could go out to Hooper who’d just worked with Sacha on Best Picture Oscar nominee Les Miserables. Graham King and Tim Headington are producing with Robert De Niro and Jane Rosenthal and Queen Films.
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That’s too bad. The version with Sacha Baron Cohen would have been a fantastic movie. I would have paid to see it automatically. PG version, not so much.
PG = VH1 Behind the Music no dough
R = Sex, Drugs, and Rock n Roll $$$$$$
Besides who under 30 is going to care about a Queen movie unless SBC is playing him? As far a R rated movie hurting the franchise, that’s not even a issue.
Dropping Cohen is the best thing they could do.
He was not interested in a film about the creative genius Freddie Mercury. He wanted to shock with and make fun of Mercury´s private life.
A film about Freddie Mercury has to have respect for him – and must not treat him as just another excuse for Cohen´s sadistic schadenfreude humor.
The members of Queen know what they are doing. And I congratulate them for deciding that this film is not about Sacha Baron Cohen finding a new vehicle for his one-joke career.
You assume too much. He was very interested in the film and is a big fan of Mercury’s. Cohen has done a lot more then Borat and Ali G. He is a very good character actor. Stop spreading calm info hate.
I’ll bet you said the same thing about Jim Carrey before he played his role in The Truman Show. Sacha Cohen has talent, if he didn’t you wouldn’t know his name. If the story is true from what we are told it is Cohen that needs to be applauded here not the members of the bad or who ever else decided lets make a film about a guy who did a ton of drugs had lots of sex and make it a Disney movie.
You mean Borat “The Thank you very much guy”? Yeah I know his name.
He’s a great actor who can do more than just Borat and Bruno. He would have blown this role out of the water. He also really respects Freddie Mercury and I actually think its a lot more honorable to go for a movie that is truer to Freddie Mercury’s character than one that glosses over main dramatic themes in Mercury’s life. Big mistake on Queen’s part.
No he didn’t. Why the hell would it be in his interest to “make fun of” Mercury’s private life? That’s silliness talking. He’s a brilliant guy, and would’ve thrown himself into this role. It’s a disappointment.
Uh, it wouldn’t be HIS film. He’d be great playing Freddy. no one else would do as well. You must be the woman in Borat that he brought the bag of poop to at the table.
Wow! You know nothing about Baron-Cohen! He is a big fan of Freddie Mercury and he had the perfect looks for it! Queen is making a big mistake. Freddie Mercury WAS Queen. Without him they are nothing and have proved it! I loved Freddie–but let’s face it–he did not live a PG life and I doubt he would want his life portrayed as such.
Thank goodness none of the people mentioned have anything to do with real life.
Everything’s pg so parents can e expected to bring their whole disgusting brood to sit and watch the drivel for an hour and 20.
Agreed
Okay, so forget about Sacha Baron Cohen and hire John Stossel instead. He look a lot more like Freddie Mercury and would be perfect for the part!
Why do you need the R version… the gritty version…the gay sex, politically correct, terrible death version? The man was a tremendous talent. It may be your idea to define him by a “gritty” life (or by his sexuality which was not exclusively gay), but I choose to define him by the positive aspects of his life and his musical talent. And as far as Cohen goes, he may look like Mercury, but the comparisons end there. That America hating clown is worthy of Mercury’s memory.
As opposed to the members of Queen, who only want to sell more records through this film? Yes, he was a tremendous talent, and you’ve got to be kidding if you think a film will ‘define him,’ the music has and will always do that. An honest and sympathetic look into the reality of his existence will only make him that much bigger a cultural figure.
Why do you consider the ‘gay sex’ aspect of his life the non-positive aspects? What is negative about it? That terrible death of his that he used to help culturally save millions of the same fate, why isn’t that a positive aspect of his life? You seem to be the issue and not the consideration of Mercury’s life.
Cohen is dangerous. He will to shock first and talk second. He will over-do the gay thing and make a mockery of it all and Queen members need to protect there legacy. There are probably 5 to 10 young actors out there who could nail the role better than sa(as in sack of sht)sha. You can probably tell the story about a talented artist, great music and venues contemporaries…. and mix in some pathos. PG works for me. Or you can do it the Cohen way – shock! toilet bowl close-ups, darkness, drugs, stains, crying and death…oh yeah and maybe a few bright moments and references to talent.
You can tell a fantasy built purely to help profit the surviving members of Queen. Or you can actually try to represent the reality of the source. To make someone who will always be a legend human again in truth. If all you see in Cohen is shock, well, most everything else must have flown over your head. The man is one of the true modern humanists on par with Mark Twain, Vonnegut and Carlin.
How does one even contemplate a PG version of Freddy Mercury’s bio? And turning down the guys that just got done doing Les Mis? Truly, it does not get stupider than that.
I am saddened to hear that Sacha Baron Cohen will not be taking the role of Freddie!! He would have NAILED that character. All who knew and loved Queen, music and band members, didn’t expect to see a PG watered down version of the band. Come on….why does it always have to be about the money and the “target demographic”?? Do you really think 10 year olds want to see an iconic band accurately depicted by an amazing actor? No one can be Freddie except Sacha!!! Come on Brian, Roger….you guys want to honor Freddie??? Let him be accurately depicted for the fabulous, flambouyant, musical genius he was!
I agree totally with you. Queen is making a BIG mistake. Freddie WAS Queen!!
A lot of assumptions by all going on here. Queen does not need money and they do care a great deal about the legacy just as the Beatles would. It is their right as the survivors and given Brian and Roger wrote a great deal of the music as well. I am sorry Sasha is giving up, but I see no reason to make too many assumptions. We can’t really know what Queens thoughts are, but I do know they knew and loved Freddie more than anyone else ever could.
Don’t mess with the franchise! This decision is all about money. SBC wanted to tell Freddie’s story and Queen music plays at ballparks and in elevators… never was going to work.
What a terrible waste of potential. This project should be shelved now
How can you make a PG rated version of such an iconic rock star who was going through anything but a PG life? I think fans would rather see the truth rather than a sugar coated version.
Perhaps Queen should’ve pitched their little scrubbed up storyline to Disney instead. Mr. Cohen would’ve brought gravitas to the role. Without him, the film is as shallow as a cartoon plot.
Sid & Nancy (PG). No drugs or stabby stuff!
I’m sure we’re all thinking the same thing: Taylor Kitsch.
I was thinking Jason Momoa.
ok, I’ll bite…..Who????
How on EARTH would he play Freddie Mercury? There is absolutely no resemblance.. I’m guessing you’re just a fanboi of Taylor.
Nobody was thinking that.
No, I dont think any of us were thinking that.
Who is taylor kitsch?
team cohen.
Rather agree with Cohen. When the band’s involved with approvals over licensed music there’s always the danger of ending up like the milquetoast “Notorious” with its softer-than-softball takes on B.I.G. and P. Diddy (and equally one-dimensional, mustache-twirling villain, Suge Knight).
They’re idiots if they don’t listen to him.
That’s really too bad. Also, no one wants to see a watered-down PG version of Freddie’s life. Freddie lived an R rated life. I hope things can change down the line, cause this sounded like an amazing project.
“Freddie lived an R rated life.”
Too true.
I won’t put money down for mere bland pablum.
Honestly I don’
t think we have a normal rating that would apply to Freddie Mercury’s life! I think it would be somewhere between R and XXX. The proper time to do it was back int he 60′s before they let the moralists take over the movie industry. Personally, I think Cohen is rich enough that he ought to do it himself and release it as a podcast. I am sure there are more than enough people who want to see a character actor of his resemblance and caliber play Freddie, that he’d be able to find enough funding by doing it as a kick-starter project….F#@CK HOLLYWOOD!
-Oz
It has nothing to do with Hollywood, it has to do with the band, who did not approve.
Hey d*mb@ass – Did you even read the article? The issue here is a creative difference between Queen and Cohen over how far to dwell into Freddie Mercury’s crazy life. Neither Hollywood’s money nor it’s “moralists” (LMFAO) have anything to do with it. Additionally, Queen didn’t even form until 1970 – so your proposed “60′s” movie would be about a future band named Queen? WTF…
I agree with you! I was so excited to hear this movie was coming out–now? Not so much!
Queen must have their eye on JD Harmeyer as director.
That’s too bad. I was really looking forward to this and Sacha is perfect for it.
Nuts. Musicians should leave filmmaking to the experts. Sounds like Cohen was in the process of putting together an incredible team.
Abso(fn)lutely.
Would you let a filmmaker write the music for your next album?
To quote Angela Bassett from Strange Days: “This is what I do, Baby!”
Get out of the way, May.
This can’t be a PG feel good film. Freddie’s life was a roller coaster. The fact they were going to cut off the film without even dealing with him contradicting AIDS was controversial to me. This man was iconic, a legend. And while the film should definitely salute & glorify his amazing voice, his gifts, his achievements, and his placement in music history, IMO it should also encompass the darker side and latter part of his life.
Bummer. Seemed like perfect casting. Don’t blame Cohen though… Why wouldn’t you want to make the movie with David Fincher or Tom Hooper, Queen??? Waiting for Kubrick to rise from the dead??
I feel the hard R is the way to go with this.
PG?! Gotta be kidding me. Hooper and Fincher rejected by the band? Bad choice guys. Bad bad bad.
Hey Sacha/Hollywood- we get it, he was gay and had schlong fest orgies…as well as honest lovers, but do we always have to see everything? Queen just saved this film $25 million at the box office at least!
I don’t think anyone wants to see “everything”. But I do think that people want honesty, and as realistic a depiction of Freddie Mercury’s life as possible. His successes mean virtually nothing if you don’t know the drama, tragedy, and courage it took to get there. I also think that they and Sasha are right in saying that a half-assed PG attempt IS JUST NOT GOOD ENOUGH!
-Oz
Its definitely not an issue of him being gay and having “schlong fest orgies,” as you put it. Freddie didn’t live a glitz and glamor “everything is fucking wonderful” kind of life. If you’re making a biopic, tell the whole story. Ending the film before he contracted aids? Terrible. Absolutely terrible. Tell the whole story, or no story at all.
Bummer, I was looking forward to this.
Sacha’s approach would be a superior film.
Well I’m sorry to hear that Sacha Baron Cohen decided to not make the movie. However Brian May and Roger Taylor are two of the most respected musicians in the world and if they feel that a more PG rated movie should be make then I support their decision 100%. What I’d like to see is an actor that can actually sing the Queen songs and not have the actor lip synch too much of that is done in movies and on the stage. Hopefully Brian and Roger will go with someone that is not necessarily a well known actor but a person that can sing the songs well. Humm wonder who that might be? AML?
Respectfully disagree about the band’s decision, but in response to who else could play (and sing like) Freddie – check out British musician named MIKA.
I agree with you on this one. He could do it. He has that high pitch capability that Freddie had. Miss Freddie.
I had absolutely no idea who that was, googled him, and watched a video on Youtube. He’d actually be perfect for a young Freddie. The voice and vibe are right. I thought it would be disastrous losing SBC but if this guy can act, and I got the sense that he can, he could do it. My main concern would be age, he could skew young. He feels like younger Freddie, Sacha seems like older Freddie. If it’s true that they don’t want to go up to his death, maybe that’d be for the best. Mika would still be about 10 years younger than Freddie at Live Aid though. Probably not gonna be split into two roles I guess, but that has been done effectively.
I still can’t get over the choices made in Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows. Bringing Judy Davis in circa Meet Me in St. Louis was a terrible idea. She looked like an old woman in an orange wig. Should’ve continued Tammy Blanchard for more of the movie.
Nice try, Brian May and Taylor Roger.
Sacha Baron Cohen *can* sing. He’s been in two musicals (Les Mis, Sweeney Todd) and has done some musical theatre as well.
I totally agree with Sacha Baron Cohen. Queen was a gritty band and so was Freddie.
Adam Lambert, ding, ding, ding. Sharon Oz already recommended him for this. Sasha saturation ongoing.
Yep, there’s your PG-hagiography lead right there.
He has the voice, but does he really have the Freddy feel? He’s a glam boy.
No Adam Lambert. Freddie Mercury was a beast on stage. Adam Lambert is more like a girly lamb.
Adam Lambert can sing like no other – he fronted Queen for 6 concerts and did a fantastic job without impersonating Freddie, just singing the hell out of their songs. But aside from his 15 years experience acting in musicals and a commanding stage presence, he’s not an “actor.” A film about Freddie will obviously use Freddie’s vocals, but an actor – a real actor – is needed to fully embody him.
MARC MARTEL! awesome singer sounds just like Freddie & looks like him too. this film wasn’t going to be just about Freddie, it was to be about Queen the group and there rise to fame, the music.
Good riddance. Freddy deserves better then to be played by that clown who created Borat. I’m not sure that Sasha is good enough actor to pull Freddie Mercury. People would look at him and think of Borat.
Agreed, it would be another Borat movie in my mind. Just another middle eastern man for him to make fun of. I also don’t think they look alike, maybe if Cohen was a great singer as well the casting would be great, but I don’t really see it. And isn’t Cohen tall while Mercury was like 5’4″? I wonder how PG they want it though, I wouldn’t want to see SBC mocking Mercury’s sexual adventures, maybe they just weren’t comfortable with the way SBC wanted to pull it off.
Agree 99.9% with everything you wrote! but Freddie wasn’t as short as you wrote… he was 5.9
If only Johnny Depp could sing. I think he would make a great Freddie.
I completely agree. Those who loved Freddie Mercury are very protective of him and do not want to see someone make a one-dimensional, cheap clown version of him. It would feel disloyal. Freddie was incredibly intelligent and unique. He deserves better than to have the tabloid side of his life dominate his life story. I think he was so much more than some caricature and it breaks my heart to think this homage to him would wind up making a mockery of him. I feel this is what Sacha would have done.
Interesting that you call Cohen a lousy actor.. yet, he created a character [BORAT] you still recall vididly!
So, you haven’t seen Les Misérables apparenty.
I absolutely agree! I am a major Freddie fan, probably would have been a groupie in his early days
Cohen is a joke! Not talented enough to play this man and shouldn’t even be considered for the role. I also agree that to end the movie before his death is ridiculous and that Inuendo would handle the more salacious parts of the story.
I totally see what you’re saying, but in my opinion, Sacha proved himself as an incredible actor and singer in films like Sweeney Todd, Les Miserables, and Hugo. He really is a multi-talented guy, and is able to disappear into his roles extremely well. It’s very sad to see him exit this project.
I’m with Cohen on this one. Freddie’s life should be told in the most realistic way possible and and R-rating was the way to go. I understand the remaining band members wanting to preserve thier leader’s legacy but they are not filmmakers and should leave it to professionals.
He’s just mad that he won’t get the Oscar nomination/win that he’s always wanted. He is desperate to transition into more serious films/roles and this was his gateway film to do that. With a soft PG version, he won’t be able to get into a grittier biopic like Walk the Line, Ray, Bird etc…
That’s too bad. SBC seemed like the perfect choice for the flamboyant Queen lead singer.
But, seriously, Queen, a PG movie about Freddie Mercury? WHY?
I recall a story I was told, when I was just a teen hustling subscriptions for the LA Times, by my crew manager, who claimed to have, one night after a wild party, found himself waking up next to Mercury, along with about a dozen other bodies in a single bed!