Actor Ben Whishaw (Skyfall, Brideshead Revisited, Cloud Atlas), who was included in Towleroad's 53 Most Powerful Coming Outs of 2013, is confirmed to play Freddie Mercury in an upcoming biopic.
Hot off directing the musical Sunshine On Leith, British actor-turned-helmer Dexter Fletcher has closed a deal to helm the movie on rock supergroup Queen, with frontman Freddie Mercury to be played Ben Whishaw. GK Films' Graham King is producing, and Sony Pictures has first crack at the film. This has been a passion project for King for several years, and it started with Sacha Baron Cohen attached to play Mercury, the singular-voiced frontman.
According to Deadline, "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."