8 Musts For Sacha Baron Cohen's Freddie Mercury

Talk of a Freddie Mercury biopic has been flying for quite some time and we thought we were finally going to get a biopic at the hands of Sacha Baron Cohen until turmoil between Sacha Baron Cohen and the remaining members of Queen halted the production of the project back in 2013 when Sacha Baron Cohen left the film. Looks like amends have been made, however, as Sacha Baron Cohen has recently come back on board to write, produce, direct, and star in the Freddie Mercury biopic. The movie will begin production as early as this year and there are a few things Sacha Baron Cohen's Freddie Mercury biopic should include.

Before going into my Freddie Mercury biopic wants and wishes, though, I want to ponder over the choice of Sacha Baron Cohen to play the King of Queen. The original tiff between the Queen camp and Sacha Baron Cohen spawned from the band's worries about Cohen's larger-than-life characters. Guitarist Brian May said of Cohen:

What led us to that conclusion [to part ways with Cohen] was the last three movies that he’s made, The Dictator, Les Misérables, and Hugo, in which he makes outstanding performances, but they’re very much Sacha Baron Cohen performances. And we thought there has to be no distraction in the Freddie movie. You have to really suspend that disbelief – the man who plays Freddie, you have to really believe is Freddie. And we didn’t that could really happen with Sacha.

I'm not sure what happened for those worries to be suspended but I'm still not quite convinced that the focus of the biopic will be on Freddie Mercury, not Cohen-as-Freddie-Mercury.

Regardless, I am excited for the biopic and I hope that Queen and Sacha Baron Cohen work in harmony as they pay homage to the iconic musician. Freddie Mercury lived a life that was too short but still very full and hopefully the film will manage to hit on all of his important moments. I hope to see the following moments covered in the Sacha Baron Cohen's Freddie Mercury biopic.

Mercury Goes to Boarding School

Mercury attended boarding school and learned how to play piano in Bombay, India. It would be interesting to see what Mercury was like as a child before his name was known around the world.

Mercury's Time at Art School

Mercury attended the Ealing College of Art in London in the '60s. He met his future bandmates, drummer Roger Taylor and guitarist Brian Mays, while at Ealing. This was undoubtedly a time of great fun and creative energy for Mercury and I hope to see the biopic flesh out the early years of Queen when they were just a new fledgling band struggling to make their music known.

Queen Hits the Big Time

Queen's success was not immediate. The band put out two albums before claiming their first hit. "Killer Queen" was the tale of high-class call girl and also the song that catapulted Queen to worldwide acclaim. The process of their rise to fame will undoubtedly be a fruitful topic for the biopic to cover.

"Bohemian Rhapsody": The Song that Changed the World

"Bohemian Rhapsody" is more than just a song, it's a cultural entity in and of itself. The biopic will surely cover the creation of the song that swept the globe and hopefully it will give us the opportunity to jam out to "Bohemian Rhapsody" like we haven't done since the first time we saw Wayne's World.

David Bowie Collaboration for "Under Pressure"

When it comes to rock music, you can't get much better than Queen. The only thing that can rival Queen is a collaboration between Queen and David Bowie. I hope to see the biopic give lots of screentime to the collaboration behind "Under Pressure" and give us a glimpse of the dynamic between two of the most famous names in musical history.

Mercury's Lavish Lifestyle

Mercury liked luxury and lived a lavish life. This will undoubtedly be portrayed in the biopic and should make for a little fun. Mercury was notorious for big parties and expensive gifts, at one point flying a group of friends to the Spanish island Ibiza for a rambunctious party vacation. If there is anything Sacha Baron Cohen knows how to do, it's portray excess and I can only imagine that Mercury's life of luxury will be rich terrain for Cohen to cover.

Mercury's Sexuality

Mercury sexuality was never a secret; after coming out as bisexual to the world (and to his former fiance, Mary Austin), he wore his sexuality with pride. I hope to see the film embrace Mercury's struggle to come to terms with his sexuality and not gloss over or lampoon his struggle. Mercury's bravery in owning who he was so openly was inspirational and hopefully Sacha Baron Cohen can do his story justice.

Mercury's Struggle with AIDS

Mercury struggled with AIDS in private until making a public statement on November 23, 1991, announcing that he was HIV-positive and fighting against AIDS. The very next day, AIDS-related bronchial pneumonia took the singer's life at the age of 45. Though Mercury's struggle with AIDS was a private matter for most of his life, hopefully the biopic will give a full picture of Mercury's fight against the disease and pay tribute to his bravery.

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