Whishaw is confirmed for the eagerly anticipated 'Mercury' biopic.
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.
Whishaw was trusted into the public eye when he played Q in the most successful James Bond film of all time, Skyfall, a role he is expected to reprise in 2015 when the next Bond film is released. He is currently filming The Heart of The Sea, a film from Rush Director that also stars Chris Hemsworth.
In August, Whishaw revealed he was gay, and had married his longterm partner, Australian composer Mark Bradshaw, in a ceremony in Sydney last year.
The film, which will be directed by Dexter Fletcher, will follow the band in the run-up to Live Aid in 1985. Fletcher is known for his acting roles in Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Kick-Ass and 1990s drama Press Gang. He then enjoyed success on the other side of the camera, helming Sunshine On Leith, based on the music of The Proclaimers.
The biopic - which was rumored to star Daniel Radcliffe at one point - will be written by Peter Morgan, whose other screenplays include the James Hunt biopic Rush and the Oscar-nominated Frost/Nixon and The Queen.
Sacha Baron Cohen was set to play Mercury before things went sour
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