Will Daniel Radcliffe Play Freddie Mercury in Biopic?
According to several news reports, Daniel Radcliffe is the latest actor to be considered to play iconic Freddie Mercury, the lead singer of the classic rock band Queen.
A source told the British newspaper the Daily Star that Radcliffe, best known for playing Harry Potter, "the part is his if he wants it."
Actor Sacha Baron Cohen was supposed to play Mercury, who died of AIDS, but has been pulled from the project over a dispute he had with the other members of Queen. The band mates wanted the biopic to be "family-friendly" while Cohen wanted it to be "racy" the British newspaper the Guardian reports.
"Despite his youth, Daniel impressed movie bosses with his portrayal of gay poet Allen Ginsburg in this year's movie 'Kill Your Darlings,'" stated the source to the Star. "Plus, he's closer in height to Freddie than Sacha, who's much taller. Daniel can really sing, too."
Radcliffe has been a supporter of gay rights and filmed a gay sex scene in "Kill Your Darlings."
Though the Guardian reports Cohen is off the project over creative differences, the Star claims he withdrew from the film because "it was not showing enough of flamboyant Mercury's extravagant lifestyle," the star writes.