Freddie Mercury Movie Runs Into Trouble

The long-awaited movie based on the life of Queen frontman Freddie Mercury has run into more problems.

Borat creator Sacha Baron Cohen, who’d been hired to play Mercury in the biopic, has quit the project after becoming unhappy with developments.

Deadline.com reports: “The reason is that the band wanted to make more of a PG movie about Queen, while Cohen was counting on a gritty tell-all centred round the gifted gay singer.

“Given the astonishing physical resemblance, it’s hard to imagine anyone else playing Freddie but Sacha.”

Shooting was planned to begin two years ago, under producer Robert De Niro. The story, written by Peter Morgan, followed the band from their formative years until their iconic performance at Live Aid in 1985.

Movie firm GK Films said in 2010: “Queen is one of the greatest rock bands of all time, and a music brand unto itself.

“Freddie was an awe-inspiring performer, so with Sacha in the starring role, coupled with Peter’s screenplay and the support of Queen, we have the perfect combination to tell the real story behind their success.”

Meanwhile, the Mercury “gorilla” sculpture, which caused uproar among Queen fans and led to guitarist Brian May getting involved in discussions with its creators, has been returned to its location in Norwich after a redesign.