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Pass The Popcorn: Sacha Baron Cohen Backs Out Of Freddie Mercury Biopic

Lenny Kravitz, Grace Jones, Lauryn Hill, Lion Babe, Thundercat, SZA & More Rock The Afropunk Festival 2015 in Brooklyn, NY.

Sacha Baron Cohen - the actor best known for his wildly popular characters Borat and Bruno - has reportedly thrown a wrench into the production of a Freddie Mercury biopic after bowing out suddenly. The film first announced in 2010 would have starred Baron Cohen as the Queen frontman circa the band's 1985 Live Aid performance. Sacha Baron Cohen's withdrawal from the production comes after a bout of creative differences with the film's producers; Freddie Mercury's surviving bandmates have reportedly requested a more family friendly film, while Sacha Baron Cohen would reportedly prefer a much more raw narrative with respect to the singer's illness and subsequent death of AIDS in 1991. The film's production team - including writer Peter Morgan - are said to be seeking a replacement actor for the lead part, in order to keep the film alive.