The Freddie Mercury biopic has been in development for a while now but unfortunately, it hasn’t yet taken off. Things finally seemed like they were starting to get off the ground once Sacha Baron Cohen signed on to star but the comedian departed the project this past Summer. Now, the producers have their eyes on Daniel Radcliffe for the lead role.
We don’t know a whole lot about which part of Mercury’s life the film will follow but from past reports, we do know that it will attempt to earn a PG rating, which does seem a bit surprising given the lifestyle Mercury lived.
Now, it’s important to note that Radcliffe hasn’t signed a deal just yet, but if he does, it would be his biggest pay cheque since Harry Potter. Sources close to the actor state that he’s definitely interested and that he impressed studio execs with his recent role in Kill Your Darlings.
“Daniel has been told the part is his if he wants it,” a source alleges. “Despite his youth, Daniel impressed movie bosses with his portrayal of gay poet Allen Ginsburg in this year’s movie Kill Your Darlings. Plus, he’s closer in height to Freddie than Sacha, who’s much taller. Daniel can really sing, too.”
Personally, I’m a big fan of Radcliffe and think that he would be smart to take a role like this. While I’m still skeptical of how the film will turn out, due to the whole PG rating thing, I am definitely curious to see how the young actor would portray such an iconic figure like Freddie Mercury.
Radcliffe is doing everything he can, it seems, to shed his Harry Potter image and with each new performance I see of his, I become more and more impressed with his acting abilities. He was absolutely fearless in the aforementioned Kill Your Darlings and it’s easy to see how and why he won over the people behind the Freddie Mercury biopic.
Tell us, do you want to see Daniel Radcliffe play Freddie Mercury? Let us know in the comments below.