| mickyparise 10.05.2012 07:46 |
Baron Cohen to star, Graham King to produce untitled pic By JEFF SNEIDER Frears Cohen King The "Hugo" team of producer Graham King and star Sacha Baron Cohen are moving forward on their next project, as "The Queen" helmer Stephen Frears has emerged as an early frontrunner to direct GK Films' untitled pic about Queen frontman Freddie Mercury, sources tell Variety. Insiders close to the project insist that several other filmmakers remain in the mix for the coveted gig, but Brit helmer Frears appears to have the inside track for the job, though negotiations have not yet begun. The latest draft of the script comes from the writing team of Stephen J. Rivele and Christopher Wilkinson, who together penned "Ali" and "Nixon." Baron Cohen's deal to play Mercury is expected to close in the coming weeks, which will see the release of the Brit thesp's next film, "The Dictator." King and Tim Headington are producing the Freddie Mercury pic in partnership with Robert De Niro and Jane Rosenthal's Tribeca Prods. and Queen Films. Story focuses on Queen's formative years, leading up to the band's heralded appearance at Live Aid in 1985. Mercury died of complications from AIDS in 1991, though the film won't focus on the singer's last days. Producers have already landed a music-rights package that includes Queen's biggest hits, including "Bohemian Rhapsody," "We Will Rock You" and "We Are the Champions." It's the first time the surviving members of Queen have licensed songs and music publishing rights for a movie about the band. Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon formed Queen Films to be involved with the production, though it remains unclear whether Baron Cohen will perform the musical numbers himself. Frears, whose gambling comedy "Lay the Favorite" was acquired by the Weinstein Co. out of Sundance, is currently directing the legal drama "Muhammad Ali's Greatest Fight" for HBO. His schedule appears to be clear after wrapping that telepic, though he is attached to direct remake "The Bengali Detective" for Fox Searchlight. Helmer has earned two Oscar nominations for directing "The Queen" and "The Grifters." Frears is repped by ICM. link |
| matt z 11.05.2012 13:12 |
Damn, I was hoping it wouldn't be made with Sasha Cohen, Just don't like the dude. Also his role in Hugo was unbelievable. (As in, he seemed the odd man out, not genuinely an actor) Ah well... Just as long as it gets John Deacon off the couch I mean, I don't have to see it anyways. |
| k-m 12.05.2012 06:12 |
It's good to see that John is still involved. That would be his first work with Queen since 1998, time flies indeed. |
| BelfastQueenFan 12.05.2012 07:18 |
WHy would you not want Sasha Baron Cohen? He can sing and he does look remarkably like Freddie especially when he has a little more weight around his face. |
| Mercuryking 12.05.2012 14:30 |
how on earth can they NOT include his last days writing music? Are they out of their minds? That is one of the bravest and most inspiring things i've seen. The courage of this man until the last days and they will not include that into the movie? Then what the hell is the point to even do the movie if you're not going to tell the whole story.... Retarded if you ask me. |
| Adam Baboolal 12.05.2012 14:58 |
I think the idea of ending on a lighter note is quite common in film biographies. Ask yourself, how many end with the death of the person and how many end with a page or two of static text over either, a) real footage of the person or, b) footage of our biographical character in happier and/or uncertain moments. Maybe the latter is the more popular route for an ending. True, I think showing (in whatever way) how Freddie kept going to the end, is a great inspirational note. But it may also be a very sad way to end. It's a tough one. Adam. |
| Mercuryking 12.05.2012 16:20 |
Yea but it is the story about Freddie Mercury right? Then how about telling the whole story and not 80% of it. It doesn't matter if it is negative or a positive ending, it has to be real which this movie seems not. |
| Amazon 12.05.2012 16:34 |
I'm looking forward to it. While my expectations won't be overly high, I think that SBC is perfect for the role, I love Frears, and I think a film about Freddie (whom it seems to me that he still doesn't get the respect that he deserves, especially in the US) could be fantastic. |
| mooghead 12.05.2012 16:35 |
But to tell the whole story it will be 83 hours long. No one wins from this apparent film. It serves no purpose. Queen fans will hate it, non Queen fans will hate it. The whole thing is a waste of time. The only people who will pay to see it are the same people who are paying to see that Adam person doing Queen karaoke. IE people who think they are bigger 'fans' than they actually are.. |
| Amazon 12.05.2012 16:43 |
mooghead wrote: "The only people who will pay to see it are the same people who are paying to see that Adam person doing Queen karaoke. IE people who think they are bigger 'fans' than they actually are.." That's not true. I, for one, will be seeing it, however I have no interest in seeing 'Queen' perform with Lambert (I also didn't see them perform with Paul Rodgers.) Also, nobody can judge how big a fan someone else is. Not that it matters. |
| k-m 13.05.2012 18:00 |
Some negative vibes from mooghead there... Anyway, I think it's actually interesting that they decided not to film the last days. That would be the easy option, imo, and movies have their own rules, not to be judged only by reason. The same goes for the choice of SBC to play the part. He's not exactly my cup of tea either, but who doesn't like to be positively disappointed? And I'm pretty sure Freddie's illness will be hinted at - it doesn't have to be the whole film, it can be just one scene, but one which will open the right doors in people's minds. |
| Dane 14.05.2012 09:42 |
AIDS is not a trendy topic anymore and will not get people to go to the cinema's like it did back when Philidelphia was released. The ONLY thing filling the theaters with this pic will be Cohen i'm afraid. And ending the film at Live Aid will leave possibilities open for a sequal. (not that that will ever happen) |
| croatiafan 14.05.2012 10:22 |
Hi everybody! I think the reason why they don't want put his last day in the movie is because there is a certain mystery about his last years. We don't know when did he found out that he was HIV positive. We don't know when excatly he told the band about his illness. Many things are unknown. Band members don't talk about it much and they probably don't know everything what was happening in Freddie's personal life. And that book Jim Hutton wrote isn't relayable source. sorry for my english |
| GratefulFan 14.05.2012 11:49 |
I was a bit disconcerted at the cutting out of his last years when the film was originally announced, but I've come to see things differently. I think the last thing Queen fans want to be wanting is a story that tries to cover too much ground. It can't be four hours long and thus would be necessarily shallow. We don't need an FM biography, we know all that stuff. A tightly focused few years, well done, leaves so much more space for compelling character development. I'm hoping for something of the quality of Walk the Line - a great story and great treatment even though it only dealt with Cash's younger years. I'm curious about the true state of things behind the scenes. Those translated bits from the German (I think I recall it was German) interview with Peter Morgan sounded a bit ominous. People usually try to be somewhat diplomatic, but his frustration really leaked through. There are obvious challenges when the people and relationships in the movie are the same ones overseeing it. |
| waunakonor 14.05.2012 20:51 |
Ah, I've been looking for more information on this movie. Last I checked, this is coming out 2013; is that still true? Also, I've heard working titles "A Kind of Magic," and "Mercury," but apparently they haven't actually decided on a title. I really have no problem with the whole story not being told. I'm not sure the filmmakers would be able to portray the emotion required for his later life, and it would probably make the movie end up being overlong and not popular with non-Queen audiences, as mooghead suggested. I have no problem with SBC doing it, as long as he doesn't screw up the songs too badly, but I trust that the filmmakers know what they're doing in that aspect of it. I agree with matt that his role in Hugo could have been handled better, but at least it shows that he can do more than totally irreverent Borat-esque movies, and besides, it's not like Freddie's personality was totally serious. I'm looking forward to the movie, and I wonder when a trailer will be coming out. |