Sacha Baron Cohen Page 4

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

Brian May is painfully truthful about his opinion of Sacha Baron Cohen after the comedian pulled out of the Freddie Mercury biopic over disagreements about the content of the movie. When Cohen suggested that producers wanted something that was essentially a watered down reality, May wasn't happy.

Sacha Baron Cohen branded an a***

'Grimsby' star Sacha Baron Cohen could well have made the perfect Freddie Mercury in the Queen biopic that's currently in the works. However, he decided to walk away from the project once he realised that it wouldn't be as candid as he'd have liked. He opened up about the conflict on The Howard Stern Show, claiming that May was 'not a great movie producer' and only interested to 'protect their legacy as a band'.

Continue reading: 'Sacha Baron Cohen Is An A***': Brian May Is Brutally Honest About Comedian's Departure From Freddie Mercury Biopic

Queen guitarist Brian May has hit out at Sacha Baron Cohen, calling him an ‘arse’ over his recent comments about the planned Freddie Mercury biopic. Last month Cohen had said he left the film because the remaining members of Queen wanted to make a family friendly biopic, while the actor wanted something grittier.

Brian May has called Sacha Baron Cohen an ‘arse’.

“Sacha became an arse,” May told the Mail on Sunday. “We had some nice times with Sacha kicking around ideas but he went off and told untruths about what happened. Why would he go away and say that we didn’t want to make a gritty film?"

Continue reading: Brian May Brands Sacha Baron Cohen An 'Arse' Over Freddie Mercury Biopic

Sacha Baron Cohen has finally revealed why he left the planned Freddie Mercury biopic, after working on the project for six years. Appearing on Howard Stern’s radio show, Cohen explained that differences with Mercury’s former bandmates over the direction of the film caused his exit, as the actor had wanted to include the wilder side of the frontman’s life.

Sacha Baron Cohen has spoken out about the Freddie Mercury biopic.

"There are amazing stories about Freddie Mercury," Cohen explained. "The guy was wild. He was living an extreme lifestyle There are stories of little people with plates of cocaine on their heads walking around a party."

Continue reading: Sacha Baron Cohen Reveals Why He Left Freddie Mercury Biopic

Cinema-goers who have been to see Sacha Baron Cohen’s new comedy movie Grimsby – known as The Brothers Grimsby in the States – have been cheering a scene in which presidential hopeful Donald Trump is infected with HIV.

However, a new report citing industry sources indicates that Sony, the studio behind the movie, was extremely nervous about the scene and pushed to have it cut from the final edit. In the event, because Cohen has final authority over the movie (a rare move in the industry for a producer/actor), it remained in the full theatrical release, according to The Huffington Post.

Sacha Baron Cohen with wife Isla Fisher in February 2016

Continue reading: Sony Reportedly Anxious Over Donald Trump AIDS Scene In 'Grimsby'

Sacha Baron Cohen’s new movie Grimsby finally hits cinemas this week, but many residents and business owners of the Humberside port town are displeased at the portrayal of their home and fear that the film might to damage to its reputation.

Christina Robinson, a shop assistant at Brides & Maids in the town, believes the filmmakers took inspiration from their old premises and reckons that might cause an image problem for the business, she tells local newspaper the Grimsby Telegraph.

Sacha Baron Cohen in character at the 'Grimsby' premiere

Continue reading: Residents Of Grimsby Reveal Fears For Town's Image As Sacha Baron Cohen's Comedy Is Released

When it comes to racial inequality in the film industry, comedian Sacha Baron Cohen wasn't afraid to put his point across as he arrived at the 69th BAFTA awards at the weekend. With the Academy Awards still causing a lively diversity debate, he insists that the problem goes much deeper than the Oscars.

Sacha Baron Cohen talks diversity at the BAFTAs

Cohen was at the BAFTAs to present the award for Best Leading Actress, and he acknowledged that the British award ceremony was also at risk of being condemned for its under-representation of black actors, actresses and filmmakers. 'I'm here to give the award for the best white actress', he joked to reporters on the red carpet, according to the Guardian. 'I hear many Caucasians were nominated.'

Continue reading: Sacha Baron Cohen Jokes About 'Best White Actress' Award At BAFTAs

It’s been nearly a decade since British actor and satirist Sacha Baron Cohen retired arguably his most famous comic creation ‘Borat’, following the hit movie of the same name for which he won a Golden Globe in 2007.

However, Cohen briefly revived the Kazakh journalist for an appearance on ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ on Wednesday night (December 9th), in which he poked fun at Donald Trump and introduced the world to a new character with a trailer for upcoming spy comedy movie The Brothers Grimsby.

Sacha Baron Cohen brought back 'Borat' for one night only, in order to mock Donald Trump

Continue reading: Sacha Baron Cohen Revives 'Borat' To Mock Donald Trump

Sacha Baron Cohen’s spoof spy comedy, ‘Grimsby’, is beginning to take shape. According to the Hollywood Reporter, actor Ian McShane (Hercules) David Harewood (Homeland), Gabourey Sidibe (Precious) and English comedian Johnny Vegas have all been added.

Sacha Baron Cohen's new comedy has a stellar cast behind it

Produced by Baron Cohen and Nira Park, and executive produced by Louise Rosner, Todd Schulman, Johnston, Baynham, James Biddle, Eric Fellner, Tim Bevan,Ant Hines and Adam McKay, the story focuses on a British black-ops spy (Mark Strong), who, forced to go on the run, teams up with his hapless brother, an English football hooligan (Baron Cohen).

Continue reading: Sacha Baron Cohen Adds To 'Grimsby' Cast With McShane, Harewood, Sidibe And Vegas

Remember Stars in Their Eyes? That was good wasn’t it, and while it may have provided an incredibly cheap platform on which to build this story – surrounding Ben Whishaw’s upcoming turn as Freddie Mercury in a biopic of the mercurial singer – we maintain its validity and quality. But that’s enough nostalgia now; it’s time to step back into 2013.

Ben Whishaw clasping his Bafta

Whishaw has replaced Sacha Baron Cohen - reports the BBC -  who pulled out of playing the late Queen star because of creative differences with the band. He wanted to portray every facet of Mercury’s life included the more debauched and unsavoury times, as well as the creative entertainment powerhouse that he was. The remaining Queen members on board, though, wanted a family friendly exposition of his life, and ties were cut.

Continue reading: Tonight Matthew, I'm Going To Be Freddy Mercury - Ben Whishaw

Of all Sacha Baron Cohen's outrageous and cringe-worthy stunts that he's pulled off over the years, his Britannia Awards prank has caused a great deal more analysis and disbelief than any other. Sacha was introduced to the awards show stage to be honoured for his contribution to comedy by actress Salma Hayek and an old, wheelchair-bound lady who was introduced as Grace Collington, a former child star who worked with Charlie Chaplin.

Sacha Baron Cohen Momentarily Appeared To Have Killed An Old Lady.

Grace offered the Borat actor Chaplin's iconic cane, saying "This is from City Lights." The audience "aww'd" and Sacha began to tap dance with it, emulating the legendary 20th century performer. Cohen then leant his full body weight of the cane which snapped sending the actor careering into Grace's wheelchair and throwing her off the stage into the audience below with a scream.

Continue reading: Sacha Baron Cohen Threatens Family Of Old Lady He Chucked Off Stage [Video]

Last night’s BAFTA LA Britannia awards were definitely George Clooney’s time to shine. Except for the prank that actor Sacha Baron Cohen couldn’t help himself from pulling, that is. Clooney and Baron Cohen were both honored alongside a handful of other stars – including Benedict Cumberbatch, Sir Ben Kingsley, Kathryn Bigelow and Idris Elba - for various achievements in film, USA Today reports.

Sacha Baron Cohen accepted the award with grace and... no, not really, but it was pretty funny.

But on to Cohen’s rather startling prank. When the actor went on stage to be presented with the Charlie Chaplin Britannia Award for Excellence in Comedy, things got very out of hand very quickly. As Baron Cohen accepted the award – a Chaplin-esque cane e from an elderly woman in a wheelchair, introduced as the oldest living actor to have worked with Chaplin himself. In the spirit of the award, the actor did a clumsy little tap dance, during which he tripped, and sent the woman flying to the shock of the attendees. If you’re curious to see the moment, Tune in to the show tonight on BBC America at 9 p.m. ET to see how she fared (she survived, folks, its all good).

Continue reading: George Clooney, Sacha Baron Cohen Among Most Colorful Honorees At BAFTA LA Britannia Awards

It's that time of year again guys. We compile a list of the most bizarre celebrity Halloween costumes of 2013. We're not choosing the best costumes here - oh no - we're choosing the most ridiculous. Sort of the worst, but the best worst ones. You get the picture.

We anticipated that Breaking Bad Halloween costumes would be huge this year and so we've been disappointed with the celebrity effort on that front. Where are all the Jesse Pinkmans, the Walter Whites and the Gus Frings? Maybe they'll emerge later in the week but at the minute we're getting an influx of Miley Cyrus costumes, something we're not happy about at all.

We start with the frankly bizarre Paris Hilton, who still appears to be living life as a sweet sixteen birthday girl. She's 32. This year, she spent $5,000 on several ensembles for the annual Halloween party at the Playboy mansion on Saturday (October 26, 2013). Amongst them was the teddy bear outfit Miley Cyrus twerked in at the MTV Video Music Awards. She also put together a little Katy Perry 'Roar' jungle outfit. 

Continue reading: Most Ridiculous Celebrity Halloween Costumes 2013: Paris Hilton, Kelly Brook, Tim Allen [Pictures]

Since Sacha Baron-Cohen dropped out of the Freddy Mercury biopic, a few names have been touted for his return.

Johnny Depp was even mentioned following his high-profile flop as Tonto in Lone Ranger, and so was Daniel Radcliffe, who has moved to quash the rumours.

He told Empire magazine: "There’s no truth to it at all. It’s one of those very, very funny things: it came out of a story in the Daily Star and then you see newspapers like The Guardian using The Star as their source, and it grows and grows until it's 'Daniel Radcliffe playing Freddie Mercury!', which I was never going to do."

Continue reading: Daniel Radcliffe A No-Go For Freddy Mercury Role, But Why?

Sacha Baron Cohen as Freddie Mercury: it was almost too perfect. The looks, the singing ability, the eccentricity, the confidence; the planned Queen biopic was bound to be a hit. However, then Baron Cohen shocked by stepping away from the movie, and leaving the iconic role open. The 41 year-old comedian pulled out of the movie a few months ago due to "creative differences."

Daniel Radcliffe Rumoured To Play Freddie Mercury.

According to Deadline, the band who wanted 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. A compromise could not be reach and Sacha threw in the towel.

Continue reading: Daniel Radcliffe Rumoured Freddie Mercury Replacement After Sacha Baron Cohen Steps Out

So, it was creative differences all along. The remaining band members - Roger Taylor and Bryan May – have revealed exactly why Sacha Baron Cohen was forced out of the Freddie Mercury biopic, but have they made a huge mistake?

"We felt Sacha probably wasn't right. We didn't want it to be a joke. We want people to be moved," Taylor explained in an interview with Mojo. "I thought the music business was slow, but this has been like swimming in treacle," the drummer added.

Of course, Baron Cohen is famous for his comedy roles, but the bravery in which he approached Borat – a film for which he was nominated for multiple awards – served to show his range as an actor. It would seem as though he’s still waiting for the dramatic role to define his career; May and Taylor could have passed up a juggernaut.

Continue reading: Sacha Baron Cohen Too Much Of A Joke For Freddy Mercury Biopic - A Huge Mistake?

Since he burst onto the scene as a wee magician all those years ago, Daniel Radcliffe has become a global star. Eight Harry Potter films secured him a lifetime of wealth and fame, but the 24-year-old Fulham-born actor hasn’t stopped working since, so maybe it’s time for a break.

“I do need a break – doing Cripple was amazing but the last month was slightly exhausting,” he told The Daily Star. “I’ve got three weeks off in October and I’m going to bum around New York and see some shows. I need to get some proper downtime.”

Sounds great, doesn’t it, some time in New York to see some shows, eat great burgers and quaff premium grade sodas. And he deserves it after playing The Cripple Of Inishmaan in London’s West End. But his brief haitus could be halted by a new job: replacing Sacha Baron Cohen to play Freddie Mercury.

Continue reading: Alright, That's Enough - I Need A Break, Says Daniel Radcliffe

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

Jason Andreozzi’s movie, about Egypt during the Arab Spring, didn’t make into this year’s Sundance Festival. That didn’t stop the director trying to grab the industry’s attention though. On Friday afternoon, police in Utah, where the iconic film festival is held, cited Andreozzi for riding a camel down Main Street. Yes. A camel. And yes, down Main Street, one of the busiest places in Utah right now.

According to Associated Press, the police objected to Andreozzi’s bizarre form of transport and cited him for his actions. We’re not sure if there’s a specific law about riding a camel in Utah, but he got warned, anyway. They also warned him about distributing flyers, too, though the filmmaker insists that he wasn’t handing out any flyers. He chose to ride a camel through the city because, of course, many people instantly associate the animal with Egypt. Whether or not his film will get any recognition from the stunt remains to be seen but so far it’s certainly one of the stranger stories to come out of this year’s Sundance Film Festival.

Perhaps Andreozzi was inspired by Sacha Baron Cohen’s stunt at Cannes last year. The star of The Dictator arrived at the French film festival, also on a camel and dressed as General Aladeen – his character from the movie. If we’re giving out marks for publicity stunt expertise, however, this one’s got to go to Cohen, we’re afraid. 

Continue reading: Egypt Film Director's Sundance Camel Stunt Falls Flat

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