Sacha Baron Cohen to Rock You as Freddie Mercury

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Sacha Baron Cohen to Rock You as Freddie Mercury
Thu., Sep. 16, 2010
Marc Malkin

In what could be one of the more inspired castings we've heard about in quite some time, Sacha Baron Cohen has signed on to star as Queen frontman Freddie Mercury in a movie about the legendary rock band.

The flick doesn't have a director yet, but...

Producers have announced filming is set to begin sometime next year.

The pic, which will be scripted by Frost/Nixon and The Queen writer Peter Morgan, will follow the band from its early years to its performance at Live Aid in 1985, six years before Mercury died from AIDS complications at age 45.

What about the music?

GK Films and Tribeca Productions have reportedly secured rights to Queen's most famous tunes, including "We Are the Champions," "Bohemian Rhapsody," "We Will Rock You," "Another One Bites the Dust" and "You're My Best Friend," according to Deadline New York, which first reported the casting.

"Queen is one of the greatest rock bands of all time, and a music brand all unto itself," GK Film's Graham King said in a statement. "Freddie Mercury was an awe-inspiring performer, so with Sacha in the starring role couple with Peter's screenplay and the support of Queen, we have the perfect combination to tell the real story behind their success."