Freddie Mercury

Sacha Baron Cohen was attached to the Freddie Mercury biopic for many years, but once the project started moving forward Cohen left, and the film seemed like it might die. But then Ben Whishaw joined and actor-turned-director Dexter Fletcher was hired to helm the project. Now Fletcher has left the film, citing "creative differences," which makes us wonder if this project is cursed. Read

Brian May says he's often thought of the way Freddie Mercury handled his final illness when dealing with the aftermath of the Queen guitarist's own health scare. Mercury died in 1991 from complications relating to the AIDS virus.

After months of delays, word is now circulating that Dexter Fletcher has been tapped to direct the Freddie Mercury biopic. Perhaps more importantly, Ben Whishaw will play Freddie Mercury, replacing Sacha Baron Cohen, who left over the summer.

In 1983, Freddie Mercury recorded some tracks with Michael Jackson that have remained in Queen's vault. Now, drummer Roger Taylor tells us that he and Brian May have completed them, and the songs will see the light of day, pending approval from Jackson's estate.

At some point, everybody has expressed a desire to go back in time and rock out with their favorite musicians. Now, a new museum is on the way to making that dream a reality, at least in one sense of the word.

Earlier this summer, Sacha Baron Cohen dropped out of the long-gestating Freddie Mercury biopic due to disagreements with the remaining Queen band members over the content and tone of the film, but now it looks like his replacement may have been found. 'Captain America' star Dominic Cooper is rumored as the latest actor looking to step into Mercury's unitard.

Sacha Baron Cohen cited "creative differences" when he departed the developing Freddie Mercury biopic earlier this year, and reports at the time suggested that Mercury's surviving bandmates in Queen were looking to produce a sanitized version of the flamboyant frontman's life story. But according to drummer Roger Taylor, that isn't entirely accurate.

Following Sacha Baron Cohen's departure from the lead role in the Freddie Mercury biopic, the film's writer Peter Morgan was unconvinced the project would ever happen, but perhaps it can survive after all with a bit of magic. According to a report, Daniel Radcliffe is the next in line for the gig.

Last year, Rovio paid tribute to Freddie Mercury by creating a video featuring one of their Angry Birds characters as the Queen frontman as part of the annual "Freddie for a Day" celebration. Now, they have taken their love for him one step further and integrated him into this week's installment of Angry Birds Friends.

The Freddie Mercury biopic is one of those recent projects trapped in development hell. Though funnyman Sacha Baron Cohen of 'Borat' fame was attached to the lead role for some time, he has since dropped out, leaving the project to its likely demise, according to the film's writer.