Sacha Baron Cohen to play Queen’s Freddie Mercury in biopic!

Freddie Mercury (R) and Sacha Baron Cohen (L)

Perfect casting.  Sacha Baron Cohen is reported to have signed on to play the iconic and brilliant lead singer of Queen in a biopic being made by GK Films.

Deadline.com broke the story:

"Sacha Baron Cohen has closed a deal to play Queen front man Freddie Mercury in a film that’s being scripted by Peter Morgan for a 2011 production start. The untitled film will be financed by GK Films partners Graham King and Tim Headington, who'll produce in partnership with Robert De Niro and Jane Rosenthal’s Tribeca Productions, and Queen Films. Morgan is already working on a script focused on the band’s formative years, leading up to Queen’s appearance at Live Aid in 1985. Queen’s performance is considered one of the rock's all-time great live concert appearances.

...a rights package has been set that includes the band’s tunes, including Bohemian Rhapsody, We Will Rock You, We Are the Champions , Another One Bites The Dust and You’re My Best Friend. It is unclear whether Baron Cohen will sing—I’m told he can sing—or whether Mercury’s vocals will be used. Nobody sang like Mercury, so trying to replicate him would be a tall order. These decisions will be made as a director gets hired. Mercury died November 24, 1991 of complications from AIDS. Though 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."

Clearly Sacha Baron Cohen will rock the you-know-what out of this role.  He just inhabits every part he plays, and I'm sure  this will be no different.   I wonder, too, though about the vocals.  Not just anyone can replicate Freddie's voice--in fact, I believe there was only one Freddie Mercury.  The film-makers would probably be wise to have Sacha lip-synch.

How are y'all feeling about this casting choice?