There was a time the world believed it would one day see Sacha Baron Cohen portraying Freddie Mercury, but those days have since become the stuff of internet archives. Talk about the long-gestating film died down in recent months, but this morning news broke that an actor has finally been chosen to portray the iconic rock frontman.

Ben Whishaw, perhaps best known as the new Q opposite Daniel Craig in Skyfall, will bring Freddie Mercury back to life in the as-of-yet untitled biopic. This news follows reports from October that the band wanted Whishaw to step in and fill the shoes Cohen left vacant over the summer.

Speaking about his departure, guitarist Brian May said: “You have to really suspend that disbelief – the man who plays Freddie, you have to really believe is Freddie. And we didn’t think that could really happen with Sacha. That’s not any criticism of his talent whatsoever, it’s just a feeling that it was not going to work – that the pieces didn’t fit together anymore.”

There is no release date for the biopic, but production is expected to begin in 2014. Click below to view one of Whishaw’s big moments in Skyfall.

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James Shotwell

James Shotwell is the founder of Under The Gun Review. He loves writing about music and movies almost as much as he loves his two fat cats. He's also the co-founder of Antique Records and the Marketing Coordinator for Haulix. You should probably follow him on Twitter.

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