Good news or bad news depending on who you are: Daniel Radcliffe has denied all rumors and declined any interest in appearing as Freddie Mercury in the planned biopic of the Queen vocalist's life. Bad news for everybody: There still isn't a name attached to the role.
The Harry Potter star set the record straight with Empire Magazine after reading enough tabloid fodder online.
"Everyone on the internet who I presume is saying I'm totally wrong for that part is correct," he said. "I AM completely wrong for that part! If I'd seen a rumour about me playing Iggy Pop, I'd think, 'Hey, I'd have a go at that - that'd be fun!', but Freddie Mercury? No. I don't even know who the director is. They seem to be saying it's Stephen Frears and Tom Hooper on the internet."
Radcliffe has shown some range as an actor, playing beat poet Allen Ginsberg in the upcoming movie Kill Your Darlings, but Queen apparently ain't his thing. As he mentioned, the film has yet to find a director either, with Hooper being the most recent rumor heard at the Music Times water cooler.
The role of Mercury was firmly attached to Sacha Baron Cohen for several years, but recently fell apart due to disagreements between the actor and the band over what angle the film would take toward Mercury's life. Queen reportedly aspires to a PG-rated, family friendly film, whereas Cohen wanted an edgier, probably more realistic look into the life of the frontman (PG movies rarely get Best Actor nominations). Either way, it's a bummer because Cohen was an ideal fit, for both his eccentricity and vocal experience.
Stay tuned for more details, but for now this biopic is biting the dust.
© 2024 MusicTimes.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
