Culture: Sacha Baron Cohen as Freddie Mercury: Why the heck not?
- He needed another direction, so why not Freddie Mercury? Sacha Baron Cohen’s films – specifically “Borat” and “Bruno” are entertaining in a very painful way, but it’s the kind of amazing trick that only works for so long. First, people will figure out it’s you. Second, it’s the kind of joke that can get old very quick – comparing “Borat” to “Bruno” on Metacritic is a major hint that the joke fell flat. We like the idea of Cohen playing the Queen singer – he has no issues with playing flamboyant gay characters, wearing spandex, or with growing over-the-top mustaches. Plus, the director on deck, Peter Morgan, also directed “Frost/Nixon” and “The Last King of Scotland,” two rock-solid flicks from the last few years. Maybe this’ll be a great direction for him. source