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No offense to everyone involved with this Freddie Mercury biopic being developed, but it just keeps getting less and less likely that it will be a good movie.
British actor-turned-director Dexter Fletcher has been hired to helm the movie that will focus on the Queen frontman, who is set to be played Ben Whishaw (Skyfall, Cloud Atlas). When the project was first announced we had the talented team of director Tom Hooper (Les Miserables) and Sacha Baron Cohen attached to the bring the film to life. Those were the days that the movie felt promising. The band is still attached to the project, and apparently Cohen left because he wanted to make a hardcore, R-rated tell-all film, while the band wanted to tell a more watered down version. It's kind of a shame, as the watered down versions of things are always less interesting.
According to Deadline, "Fletcher has been meeting the band and getting a feel for the Queen story, and that the intention is for the movie to get up and running next year regardless of whether Sony steps up. With the band’s songs part of the package, the pic will tell the formative coming-of-age story of the group, culminating in Queen headlining Live Aid in 1985. Queen’s performance is considered one of rock’s all-time great concert appearances. Mercury died November 24, 1991, of complications from AIDS, and while his death helped to remove the stigma of AIDS sufferers prevalent at that time and particularly in the rock music industry, Mercury’s last days won’t be the subject of the film."
Fletcher has had roles in films such as Misfits, Stardust, and Kick-Ass. He also directed films such as Wild Bill and Sunshine on Leith. I haven't seen either of those films, so I have no idea how good of a director he is. Maybe the film will turn out better than I think, I was just more interested in Cohen's version.
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