The long-gestating Freddie Mercury biopic finally seems to be moving forward, with Deadline revealing that British filmmaker Dexter Fletcher (Wild Bill, Sunshine on Leith) has closed a deal with GK Films to direct the film, which has Ben Whishaw (Skyfall, Cloud Atlas) attached to star as the legendary Queen frontman after Sacha Baron Cohen (Borat, The Dictator) dropped out.
The script for the as-yet-untitled biopic has been written by Peter Morgan, whose previous credits include The Queen, Frost/Nixon, The Damned United and The Special Relationship. The film – which will explore the formative years of the British rock band through to their headlining performance at Live Aid in 1985 – is being produced by GK’s Graham King along with Tim Headington, Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal and the surviving members of Queen, and cameras are expected to roll next year.
