It looks like the Oscar nominated Les Miserables director Tom Hooper could end up directing Sacha Baron Cohen in the biopic based on Queen frontman Freddie Mercury that was announced a couple of years ago.
Hooper and Cohen recently worked together on Les Mis, and I guess they enjoyed working together. The script for the film was written by Peter Morgan (Frost/Nixon, The Queen, The Last King of Scotland). Deadline says that no formal offer has been made to Hooper yet, who has got a ton of other projects he could choose from.
The film will focus on the band's formative years, leading up to Queen’s appearance at Live Aid in 1985. Producer Graham King had this to say in previous statement,
Queen is one of the greatest rock bands of all time, and a music brand all unto itself. Freddie Mercury 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.
This sounds like it could end up being a great film, and Hooper is the perfect director to bring it to life, so I hope he ends up landing the gig. Mercury died November 24, 1991 of complications from AIDS, but that won't be the subject of the film.
What do you think of Hooper possibly taking on this film project?