Sacha Baron Cohen Page 3

American actor Rami Malek has become the latest star to sign up to portray Freddie Mercury in the much-disrupted Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody.

The 35 year old star, who won an Emmy for his role as the troubled hacker Elliot Alderson in ‘Mr. Robot’, is to play the late rock icon in a biopic movie that’s set to be directed by X-Men’s Bryan Singer, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Singer himself confirmed the news of his and Malek’s involvement via his own Instagram account on Friday night (November 4th), sharing a photo of the four Queen members’ faces as they appear in the ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ video.

Continue reading: 'Mr Robot' Star Rami Malek To Portray Freddie Mercury In Queen Biopic

Former Queen bassist John Deacon is apparently having nothing to do with the upcoming biopic of the group's late singer Freddie Mercury as he continues to maintain his exile from the surviving group member's work under the Queen name. According to the group's guitarist Brian May, Deacon has given the script for the film his approval, but wants nothing more to do with the upcoming movie project, or the potential new Queen album rumoured to be in the works.

Mercury will be remembered in the upcoming biopic

"We kinda mourn for John as well as Freddie in a sense," May recently told Rolling Stone. "I do know John's read the script and he's in approval...[But] he just doesn't want to be walking those roads ... He's in his own space and we respect that. It's a shame, because we would love to have him around but he doesn't want to be in that arena anymore."

Continue reading: John Deacon Rules Out Any Involvement In Freddie Mercury Biopic

Sacha Baron Cohen was honoured for his contribution to comedy at the weekend's Britannia Awards in LA. The actor, who is most famous for his Ali G and Borat characters, was called to the stage by actress Salma Hayek and a wheelchair-bound elderly lady, introduced as the 87 year-old Grace Collington, the supposed former child star of Charlie Chaplin silent movies.

Sacha Baron Cohen Temporarily Shocked Viewers At The Britannia Awards.

Hayek spoke warmly of Cohen, praising his ability to immerse himself in a role and make his comedy believable and hilarious. Dressed in a sharp suit, he leapt up to collect his award but not before Grace had given a special gift of her own. "This is the cane from City Lights," she said, handing Sacha the iconic hooked cane. The crowd "Aww'd" as the actor took the cane and began to tap dance.

Continue reading: Sacha Baron Cohen Pretends To Kill Elderly Actress In Britannia Awards Stunt [Video]

It’s that time again – time for actors to appear at their most dignified and respectable for the Britannia awards. Well, some of them, anyway. Not Sacha Baron Cohen, who took the award show, which took place during the weekend as an excellent opportunity for a prank.

Baron Cohen "graced" the stage after an introduction from Salma Hayek.

Cohen took the stage during the early minutes of the awards show to receive his Charlie Chaplin Award for Excellence in Comedy from Grace Cullington – the oldest surviving Chaplin co-star. After the other presenter – Salma Hayek, no less – finished her speech introducing Baron Cohen and the actor had come on stage, he was handed his award by Cullington. It was, according to her, the actual cane that Chaplin had used in the movie “City Lights.” So, naturally, Sacha had to do a little tap dance to test it out. However, the funny moment didn’t go quite as planned, as the cane slipped, Cohen tripped… and he sent Cullington flying offstage, wheelchair and all.

Continue reading: Sacha Baron Cohen Pranks Audience With Un-Grace-ful Turn Onstage At Britannia Awards

Sacha Baron Cohen shocks once again by apparently killing 87-year-old actress Grace Collington as he rolls her wheelchair off the stage during his acceptance of the Charlie Chaplin Britannia Award.

The 'Borat' comedian just can't take a day off, can he? The award-giving for Excellence in Comedy started out so nicely with 'Savages' actress Salma Hayek giving a speech about how brilliantly authentic a comedian and actor Sacha is. "Sacha has consistently demonstrated total fearlessness as an artist", she told the audience. "He has literally risked his life to make us laugh." However, while the star filled audience wiped away their tears, Sacha was concocting a dastardly plan to totally ruin the moment.

On meeting Grace Collington, who appeared in Charlie Chaplin's 'City Lights' in 1931 at the age of 5 and is the oldest living actress to have worked with the star, he accepted the gift of Chaplin's actual cane from the movie and proceeded to test it out with a little tap dance. The spectators' expressions turned from delighted amusement to utter shock in seconds when Sasha proceeded to accidentally push Grace's wheelchair off the stage, apparently leaving her landing flat on her face on the floor motionless.

Continue reading: Sacha Baron Cohen Leaves Britannia Award Goers Shocked After 'Killing' Veteran Actress Grace Collington

Sacha Baron Cohen not only left the Beverly Hilton with the highest honour awarded for comedy by the BAFTA-LA ‘s annual Britannia Awards, but also left with the audience either still in shock or holding on to their sides with laughter following an inspired practical joke. Los Angeles' British alliance was out in force for the Saturday (9 Nov.) night ceremony, and there were even a few non-Brit Hollywood heavyweights doing their best to pretent to be from the other side of the Atlantic for the awards show.

Sacha Baron Cohen flanked by his wife Isla Fisher [R] and Salma Hayek [L]

Airing on BBC America on Sunday (10 Nov.) night, host Rob Brydon had the job of handling the more raucous than usual crowd, which had plenty to do with Cohen's stunt. It began when Salma Hayek came on stage with an elderly woman to present the Charlie Chaplin Britannia Award For Excellence In Comedy award. Confined to a wheelchair, she was identified as Grace Collington, an actress she said appeared with Charlie Chaplin in 1931′s City Lights when she was just 5-years-old. She very believably told the audience, “At 87, she’s the oldest surviving actor to have worked with Chaplin in a silent movie,” at which point Cohen climbed to the stage to accept the honour. The elderly woman presented Cohen with one of Chaplin's trademark canes, at which point Cohen pushed her from the stage and began his acceptance speech as 'Collington' lied motionless on the ground.

Continue reading: Sacha Baron Cohen's Hilarious Stunt Steals The Show At BAFTA-LA Britannia Awards

Brian May has opened up about Sacha Baron Cohen's departure from the planned Freddie Mercury biopic, which it seems is almost certainly going to be a sugar-coated love letter to the late Queen singer.

Cohen walked away from the project in July after spending months honing his vocals for the role, however, reports suggested he fell out with may and Roger Taylor of his planned portrayal of Mercury.

Now, speaking with UltimateClassicRock.com, Brian May explained, "In the end, we felt that his [Cohen's] presence in the movie would be very distracting.

Continue reading: Brian May: Sacha Baron Cohen "Distracting" In Freddie Mercury Biopic

The planned biopic of Queen frontman Freddie Mercury's life has been in discussion for three years now, with comic actor Sacha Baron Cohen in line to star as the late singer since the very beginning of the project. The biopic was thrown into disarray in the summer however, when it was reported that Cohen had been booted from the project, with little explanation for his exit. This week, Queen guitarist Brian May looked to shed some light on what happened.

Freddie Mercury is revered as one of the finest rock frontmen of all time

"It's quite difficult to talk about because we owe Sacha a lot," May told Classic Rock in it's latest issue. He went on to say, "He had so much enthusiasm for the project and it really helped us kick it into the start position. But in the end we felt that his presence in the movie would be very distracting."

Continue reading: Brian May Explains Why Sasha Baron Cohen Was Wrong For Freddie Mercury Biopic

The trailer has been released for Johnny Knoxville's new movie, Bad Grandpa, in which the Jackass star plays an 86 year-old bad-mannered, shop-lifting, reckless-driving, vandalising, wedding crashing prankster of a Grandfather named Irving Zisman. Unlike previous Jackass movies, the new spin-off with be held together by some continuation of a plot involving two main characters.

'Bad Grandpa' Will Be Released On The 23rd October In The UK & The 25th Oct. In The USA.

The film follows Knoxville's Zisman and his 8 year-old grandson Billy (Jackson Nicholl) as they traverse the country on what is billed as the most crazy hidden camera road trip ever.

Continue reading: Johnny Knoxville's 'Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa' Is Nothing We Haven't Seen Before [Trailer]

Amidst reports that their relationship is on the rocks, Jennifer Aniston was on hand to throw one heck of a distraction as she lavished her hubby Justin Theroux with gifts and visits from his famous friends as the actor celebrated his 42nd birthday this weekend.

The couple celebrated Justin's birthday and their one year anniversary as an engaged couple

There was no shortage of celebrity guests either, with famous faces dotted all around Jen and Justin's Bell Air mansion to wish Justin a happy birthday. Although Jen's BFF Courtney Cox couldn't attend the birthday bash, as the actress is reportedly recovering from a broken wrist still, reports state that among the attendees at their Los Angeles home were Ben Stiller, Tobey Maguire and Jason Bateman. Fellow actors Don Cheadle, Will Arnett, Malin Ackerman, Kristen Bell and her fiance Dax Shepard and Isla Fisher and her husband Sacha Baron Cohen were also in attendance, as were comedians Jimmy Kimmel and Ellen DeGeneres and their partners.

Continue reading: Jennifer Aniston Throws Star-Studded Birthday Bash For Justin Theroux

Sacha Baron Cohen has been rumored to play Freddie Mercury in an upcoming biopic for a while now, but unfortunately, the plans have fallen through. While the movie appears to be something of a pet project for Cohen, he had to make a graceful exit, due to “creative differences” with the remaining members of Queen.

Cohen won't be adding the biopic to his long list of achievements after all.

According to Deadline, the band wanted more of a PG-13 documentary about the entirety of Queen, while Cohen was hoping to get down and dirty in a tell-all documentary about the iconic singer’s troubled history. He had reportedly brought in Peter Morgan to write and various directors including David Fincher and Tom Hooper to develop the project for himself. Unfortunately, the band did not greenlight any of them for the film. Film is set at Sony Pictures and GK Films and it will be produced by Graham King, Tom Headington, Robert De Niro and Jane Rosenthal for Queen Films.

Continue reading: Sacha Baron Cohen Booted Off Unnamed Freddie Mercury Biopic Due To Disagreements With Queen

Sacha Baron Cohen AKA Ali G AKA Borat AKA... you get it, was an example of a truly fitting casting decision when it was announced he'd be playing Freddie Mercury in a biopic about the late Queen lead singer's life, with even Brian May and Roger Taylor on board to contribute a few tunes and make sure the film was headed in the right direction.

Strong-Willed Guitarist Brian May Is On Board For Queen Movie.

It's true, there's few more perfect to play iconic Queen frontman Freddie Mercury than British comic Sacha Baron Cohen: the looks, the eccentricity, the infectious energy and the unquestionably self-confident flair. However, the 41 year-old actor has pulled out of the planned biopic due to "creative differences," confirms Baron Cohen's manager via Variety. According to Deadline, the band were after a more PG-ready film whilst Baron Cohen pushed for a grittier tell-all R-rated version that would take a deeper look at the talented singer's life both on and off the stage.

Continue reading: Sacha Baron Cohen Steps Out Of Freddie Mercury Biopic: Who'll Play The Queen Frontman Now?

Sacha Baron Cohen has reportedly pulled out of playing Freddie Mercury in a film about the Queen frontman due to creative differences with the existing band members, Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor.

Cohen – who found fame with his Ali G character before going global with Borat – wanted to depict Mercury in a more scandalous, adult light, while May and Taylor were more interested in a family friendly picture. And given that the pair are on-board as musical consultants - with script and director approval over the biopic – it was Cohen who had to walk.

“That film had Cohen circling the role,” say Deadline, who first reported the news, “but I’ve just learned he’s now pulled out. The reason is that the band wanted to make more of a PG movie about Queen while Cohen was counting on a gritty R-rated tell-all centered around the gifted gay singer. Given the astonishing physical resemblance, it’s hard to imagine anyone else playing Freddie but Sacha.”

Continue reading: I’m Out: Sacha Baron Cohen Bails On Freddie Mercury Film

Sacha Baron Cohen has left the movie biopic of iconic Queen frontman Freddie Mercury after a disagreement over the direction of the project. Cohen - who bears a dramatic resemblance to the singer - had wanted to make a gritty R-rated drama about the star's life, enlisting David Fincher and Tom Hooper to develop the project.

However - as is always the case with approval of Queen projects - the remaining members of the band were concerned about the movie's potential effect on Mercury's legacy and seemingly wanted to make a sugar-coated PG movie. 

According to Deadline.com, the living members of Queen, including Brian May, rejected British writer Peter Morgan (The Queen, Frost/Nixon) as the writer, as well as both Fincher (The Social Network) and Hooper (The King's Speech) as directors. 

Continue reading: Sacha Baron Cohen Leaves Freddie Mercury Movie As Attention Turns To Depp

So, Adam Lambert has finally gone and said what loads of folks were thinking anyway: the cast of Les Miserables aren’t exactly the best singers in Hollywood, so why cast them in a musical? Lambert went to see the new movie adaptation of the successful stage play and posted a string of his own reactions to the movie, on his Twitter feed.

The first of those musings read thus: “Les Mis: Visually impressive w great Emotional performances. But the score suffered massively with great actors PRETENDING to be singers.” And he continued: “...it's an opera. Hollywoods movie musicals treat the singing as the last priority. (Dreamgirls was good).” Lucky Dreamgirls, there, escaping the wrath of Lambert. However, despite denouncing the cast as not being quite up to scratch with their vocal technique, Lambert then backtracked a little (possibly not wanting to burn every showbiz bridge in town) by saying (and later reiterating) that he thought Anne Hathaway’s performance was great, as was Sasha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter.

“Sorry for being harsh but it’s so True!” he tweeted later on, before urging his naysayers to chill out and let him have his opinion, tweeting "OPINIONS!!! We all got em! Keep Calm and Discuss!” What do you think? Has he got a good point? Or is there a touch of the green eyed monster at play here? 

Continue reading: Green-Eyed Monster? Or Valid Opinion? Adam Lambert Slams Singing In Les Miserables

After a more conservative look at the London premiere last week, Anne Hathaway set tongues wagging with this racey number

Props to the main stars of Les Miserables, they're putting in the effort on the film's run of premieres. Anne Hathaway, Russell Crowe, Hugh Jackman and the rest of the cast were all out in force again at the New York City premiere of the novel adaptation less than a week after they'd ran the red carpet gamut in London. What a difference a continent makes, though; whilst across in the UK Hathaway and the rest of the female cast dressed prettily but conservatively, at the Ziegfield Theatre they held nothing back, both Hathaway and Seyfried causing jaws to drop with their outfits. 

Continue reading: Pictures: Anne Hathaway And Amanda Seyfried's Outfits The Talking Point Of The New York Les Miserables Premiere