Bohemian Rhapsody is a 2018 biographical musical drama film that focuses on the life of Freddie Mercury, the lead singer of the British rock band Queen, from the formation of the band in 1970 to their 1985 Live Aid performance at the original Wembley Stadium. It was directed by Bryan Singer[a] from a screenplay by Anthony McCarten, and produced by Graham King and Queen manager Jim Beach. It stars Rami Malek as Mercury, with Lucy Boynton, Gwilym Lee, Ben Hardy, Joe Mazzello, Aidan Gillen, Tom Hollander, and Mike Myers in supporting roles. Queen members Brian May and Roger Taylor also served as consultants. A British-American venture, it was produced by Regency Enterprises, GK Films and Queen Films, and was distributed by 20th Century Fox.
Bohemian Rhapsody was announced in 2010, with Sacha Baron Cohen set to play Mercury. After he left the project in 2013 following creative differences with producers, the project languished for several years before Malek was cast in November 2016. Singer served as director through most of principal photography, which began in London in September 2017, but was fired in December 2017 due to frequent absences and clashes with the cast and crew. Dexter Fletcher, who was originally set to direct when the project was early in development, was hired to complete the film; Singer retained sole director credit as per Directors Guild of America guidelines, while Fletcher received an executive producer credit. Filming concluded in January 2018.
In 1985, Queen wait backstage to perform at Live Aid. Fifteen years earlier, Farrokh Bulsara works as a baggage handler at Heathrow Airport and lives with his parents and sister. He goes to a pub to see the band Smile perform. Seeking them out after the show, he meets and is attracted to Mary Austin, who works at the boutique Biba. He finds drummer Roger Taylor and guitarist Brian May and learns that their lead singer and bassist, Tim Staffell, has just quit to join Humpy Bong. Farrokh offers himself as a replacement singer and impresses them with his vocal ability. Farrokh seeks out Mary at Biba and they start dating. The band plays gigs across Britain with Farrokh as the lead singer and new bassist John Deacon. Farrokh pushes them to think bigger and sells their van to finance a record album. An A&R rep from EMI asks engineer Roy Thomas Baker for demos.
Farrokh changes his name to Freddie Mercury and renames the band Queen. They sign with John Reid, who books an American tour. Paul Prenter, who is attracted to Freddie, manages their daily schedule. An appearance on Top of the Pops gives Queen their first hit, "Killer Queen". Freddie proposes to Mary but begins questioning his sexuality. In 1975, Queen record their fourth studio album, A Night at the Opera, placing extensive effort into recording Freddie's magnum opus, "Bohemian Rhapsody". However, they quit EMI when executive Ray Foster refuses to release it as the album's lead single. Freddie conspires with radio DJ Kenny Everett to debut the song on his program. Despite critical pans, "Bohemian Rhapsody" becomes a global hit, launching Queen to international superstardom. Following a world tour, Freddie begins an affair with Paul and comes out to Mary as bisexual. She counters that he is gay and they call off the engagement but remain close friends.
The band's success continues into the early 1980s with the songs "We Will Rock You" and "Another One Bites the Dust", but tensions arise over Paul's influence on Freddie. At a lavish party at his home, Freddie is attracted to a waiter, Jim Hutton, who tells Freddie to find him when he learns self-acceptance. Paul encourages Reid to persuade Freddie to go solo, but when the idea offends Freddie, Paul feigns ignorance and Freddie fires Reid without consulting the band, increasing their strain. Jim "Miami" Beach, the band's lawyer, takes over management. During a 1982 press conference, about the band's album Hot Space, the press bombards Freddie with questions about his health and sexuality.
Freddie's relationship with the band further deteriorates after the campy music video for "I Want to Break Free", where the band appears in drag, backfires and he signs a $4-million solo deal with CBS Records, effectively breaking up the band. He records his 1984 solo album Mr. Bad Guy in Munich and engages in drugs and gay orgies with Paul, but starts to feel unwell. Mary, now married and pregnant, visits unexpectedly and urges him to return to Queen and participate in the benefit concert Live Aid. Realizing that Paul withheld news of Live Aid from him and has been a corrosive influence, Freddie fires him. In retaliation, Paul goes public about Freddie's sexual escapades.
Freddie returns to London, and with Miami's help, reconciles with the band and persuades them to play at Live Aid as a last-minute addition. He learns that he has AIDS and reveals his condition to the band, but brushes off their sympathy, and requests that it be kept discreet from the public, wishing to focus on performing and making music for however long he has left. The band embraces in solidarity. On the day of Live Aid, Freddie reconnects with Jim Hutton, Mary, and his family, and heeds his father's Zoroastrian maxim, "Good thoughts, good words, good deeds". Freddie and the band are in top form at Live Aid, performing several hits including "Bohemian Rhapsody", "Radio Ga Ga", and "We Are the Champions", and helping to increase donations.
A series of intertitles recaps that Freddie died in 1991, of AIDS-related pneumonia at age 45, and the Mercury Phoenix Trust was established by the band and Miami in 1992. It also mentions that Freddie remained friends with Mary and had a loving relationship with Hutton during the final years of his life.
Plans for a film about Queen were revealed in September 2010 by the band's guitarist Brian May. Covering the period up to Live Aid in 1985, the film was to feature Sacha Baron Cohen as Freddie Mercury, with Graham King to co-produce, and Peter Morgan to write the screenplay.[25] May confirmed in April 2011 that the production was moving forward. He approved of Baron Cohen as Mercury but had reservations about the project's possible direction. The band's concerns focused on avoiding any harm to Mercury's legacy.[26]
In July 2013, Baron Cohen left the project due to creative differences. Allegedly, he had wanted a "gritty R-rated tell-all" focused on Mercury, while the band hoped for a PG-rated film about the band.[27] May said later in 2013 that Baron Cohen had left the project on good terms. Comments by May and Roger Taylor suggested that Baron Cohen was too well known as a comedian and prankster (due largely to his fictional personae Ali G and Borat), and that his presence in the film would be distracting.[28] In March 2016, Baron Cohen spoke about misunderstandings with Queen about the subject and events of the film, in particular, whether the story ought to continue past Mercury's 1991 death. He also mentioned artistic disagreements with the band over the composition of the production team, referring specifically to Cohen recruiting Morgan, David Fincher, and Tom Hooper.[29][30]
Following Baron Cohen's departure, in December 2013, Ben Whishaw was mentioned as a possible replacement to play Mercury. Also at this time, Dexter Fletcher was selected as the film's director.[31] Fletcher removed himself from the project early the following year, amid reports of creative disagreements with King.[32] In August 2014, Whishaw suggested that the film was not progressing well and that there had been scripting problems.[33] Whishaw left the project seven months later.[34] Rumours followed in 2015 that Baron Cohen had rejoined the project,[34] or that Whishaw might return.[35]
In November 2015, screenwriter Anthony McCarten became attached to the project, which now had the working title of Bohemian Rhapsody after Queen's song of the same name.[35] Developing a fresh take on the story from his interviews with May and Taylor, he delivered his first draft in February 2016. A year later, Bryan Singer was in talks to take over as director, Rami Malek was cast as Mercury, and the film was fast-tracked by 20th Century Fox and New Regency.[36] It was reported in 2015 that Johnny Flynn was due to play Roger Taylor and that Gemma Arterton would play Mercury's partner Mary Austin.[37]
In May 2017, Malek confirmed that he had conducted recordings at Abbey Road Studios and had consulted Taylor and May.[38] The same month, Entertainment Weekly reported that Taylor and May were serving as music producers.[38] In August 2017, Justin Haythe was revealed to have penned another draft of the script.[39]
On 4 November 2016, it was announced that Rami Malek would star as Freddie Mercury,[40] after the producers saw his work in Mr. Robot.[41] He had to make a pre-recording at Abbey Road Studios, which was sent to Queen members for approval.[42] On 21 August 2017, additional cast members were announced: Ben Hardy as drummer Roger Taylor, Gwilym Lee as lead guitarist Brian May, and Joseph Mazzello as bass guitarist John Deacon.[18] On 30 August 2017, it was reported that Allen Leech had been cast in the film to play Mercury's personal manager, Paul Prenter, who worked for him from 1977 to 1987, when he was fired for betraying Mercury by selling his personal information to UK newspapers.[20]
On 6 September 2017, Lucy Boynton was cast to play Mercury's long-term girlfriend, Mary Austin. Lindsey Stirling, Bryce Dallas Howard, Maria Bello and Ashley Johnson were also considered.[17] On 11 September 2017, Mike Myers joined the cast to play EMI executive Ray Foster,[21] and on 22 September 2017, Aaron McCusker was added to play Mercury's long-term boyfriend Jim Hutton.[22] On 26 September 2017, it was announced that Aidan Gillen had been cast as John Reid, Queen's second manager, from 1975 to 1978, who took over from Norman Sheffield of Trident Studios; while Tom Hollander was set to play Jim Beach, Queen's third manager, who took over from John Reid in 1978.[43] The film includes cameos by current Queen vocalist Adam Lambert as a truck driver and the film's editor John Ottman as a live TV director. Luke Deacon, son of John Deacon, also makes a cameo appearance as a college student, attending the pub where Smile plays.[44][45]
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