Ben Whishaw will replace Sacha Baron Cohen in the lead role for the troubled biopic of late Queen frontman Freddie Mercury, reports Deadline.
The film, which is being closely monitored by Queen pair Brian May and Roger Taylor, was first mooted back in 2011 but disputes behind the scenes mean principal filming is still to get underway, though the news that Whishaw has now signed up along with director Dexter Fletcher should signal the start of production very soon.
When Sacha Baron Cohen was revealed to have left the film earlier this year, Roger Taylor explained to Mojo that: “We felt Sacha probably wasn’t right. We didn’t want it to be a joke. We want people to be moved.”
“I thought the music business was slow, but this has been like swimming in treacle,” Taylor continued on the slow progress that was being made in getting filming underway. “We need to step back now.”