It’s always a great time to be a Queen fan, but especially now. Last September, we reported that Sacha Baron Cohen was attached to play Queen frontman Freddie Mercury in a film about the rock musician’s life. Queen members Brian May and Roger Taylor have told Queen Online that screenwriter Peter Morgan (Frost/Nixon) has delivered a first draft of the script, and that the team behind the flick is planning to shoot later this year with an eye towards a fall 2012 release. May and Taylor also say that they’re developing the Queen jukebox musical We Will Rock You into a movie.
Hit the jump to read their full statement.
Here’s what May and Taylor told Queen Online:
“Work is now fully under way for the much-vaunted feature film on the life of Freddie. Peter Morgan has delivered a first draft of the movie, which everyone is very excited about, and Sacha Baron Cohen is chomping at the bit to get into the role, in a way which certainly would delight Freddie ! The whole team now working on preparing for a shoot later this year, and a release in the late Autumn of 2012. We are also laying the foundations for WWRY THE MOVIE, and again, we already have a great script for it from Ben.”
“Roger and I will be working together on new WWRY theatre projects, too, beginning with the imminent launch of the show in Norway next month. And we have a couple of interesting new buns in the studio oven, about which more soon. I will be doing some selected UK dates bringing ‘Anthems’ to life with Kerry Ellis in concert halls, including the Albert Hall in May. But Roger and I keep an ever-open door for ideas for Queen, the band, which, somehow, refuses to lie down! “
Cheers and a Happy New Year!
Brian link