Sacha Baron Cohen
is set to play Freddie Mercury in an upcoming biopic
about the former Queen front man's life, reports
www.mirror.co.uk.
Johnny Depp was
in talks last year to star in the film, but Baron Cohen
reportedly won over producers and band members.
The film would
cover the life of Mercury, who was born Farrokh Bulsara in
Zanzibar. Mercury wrote many of the band's hits, including
"Bohemian Rhapsody," which was voted Britain's best
single of all time, beating out John Lennon's
"Imagine." He was known for his distinctive voice and
wide vocal range.
Mercury died at
age 45 in 1991 of AIDS complications, one day after
announcing he had the disease. (The Advocate)