Bohemian Rhapsody is a 2018 musical biographical 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. The film was directed by Bryan Singer from a screenplay by Anthony McCarten, based on a story by McCarten and Peter Morgan. It stars Rami Malek as Mercury, with Lucy Boynton, Gwilym Lee, Ben Hardy, Joe Mazzello, Aidan Gillen, Allen Leech, Tom Hollander, and Mike Myers in supporting roles. Queen members Brian May and Roger Taylor also served as consultants.
The film was announced in late 2010, with Sacha Baron Cohen set to play Mercury. After he left the project in mid-2013 following creative differences with producers, the project languished until Malek was cast and Singer was hired as director in November 2016. Singer served as director through most of principal photography, which began in London in September 2017, but was fired in December of the same year 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.
Bohemian Rhapsody premiered at the Wembley Arena on October 23, 2018, and was released by 20th Century Fox in the United Kingdom the next day and in the United States on 2 November, to mixed reviews from critics. While the musical sequences and Malek's performance were particularly praised, Singer's direction, the film's portrayal of Mercury and other personnel, and its use of creative licence were criticized. However, it became a major box office success, grossing over worldwide on a production budget of , becoming the sixth-highest-grossing film of 2018 worldwide and setting, at the time of its release, the all-time box office records for the biographical and drama genres. Since then, the film has slipped to the third highest-grossing biographical film.
Bohemian Rhapsody received numerous accolades, including a leading four wins at the 91st Academy Awards for Best Actor (Malek), Best Film Editing, Best Sound Editing and Best Sound Mixing; it was also nominated for Best Picture. The film also won Best Motion Picture – Drama at the 76th Golden Globe Awards, and was nominated for the Producers Guild of America Award for Best Theatrical Motion Picture and BAFTA Award for Best British Film, while Malek won the Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild and BAFTA for Best Actor.
Plot
In 1970, Farrokh Bulsara, a baggage handler at Heathrow Airport, sees Smile, a local college band, perform at a pub. Seeking them out after the show, he meets and is attracted to Mary Austin, who works at the boutique Biba. Farrokh finds drummer Roger Taylor and guitarist Brian May and learns that their lead singer and bassist, Tim Staffell, has 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 John Deacon as the bassist. 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 to question his sexuality soon after. In 1975, the band records their fourth studio album, A Night at the Opera, but end up quitting EMI when executive Ray Foster refuses to release "Bohemian Rhapsody" as the album's lead single. Freddie conspires with radio DJ Kenny Everett to debut the song on his programme, and "Bohemian Rhapsody" becomes a global hit. Following a world tour, Freddie begins an affair with Paul and comes out to Mary as bisexual. They break off their engagement, but remain close friends.
In the early 1980s, the band's success continues with hits such as "We Will Rock You" and "Another One Bites the Dust", but tensions arise over Paul's influence on Freddie. During a party, Freddie finds himself attracted to a waiter, Jim Hutton. Paul encourages Reid to convince Freddie to pursue a solo career, but the idea offends Freddie; Paul feigns ignorance and Freddie fires Reid without consulting his bandmates. Jim "Miami" Beach, the band's lawyer, takes over management. During a press conference for the band's album Hot Space in 1982, the media bombards Freddie with inquiries about his health and sexuality.
Following the controversial music video for "I Want to Break Free", in which the band appears in drag, Freddie leaves Queen and signs a $4-million solo deal with CBS Records. He records his 1984 solo album Mr. Bad Guy in Munich and indulges in drugs and gay orgies with Paul, but is dissatisfied and starts to feel unwell. Mary, now married and pregnant, urges him to return to Queen and perform at the benefit concert Live Aid. Realizing that Paul withheld news of Live Aid and has been a corrosive influence, Freddie fires him. In retaliation, Paul publicly reveals details about Freddie's sexual exploits.
Freddie returns to London, reconciles with his bandmates and persuades them to play at Live Aid as a late addition. Upon learning that he has HIV, Freddie reveals his condition to his bandmates, but asks that it be kept a secret from the public, wishing to make music for as long as he has left. On the day of Live Aid, Freddie reconnects with Hutton, Mary, and his family, and heeds his father's Zoroastrian maxim, "Good thoughts, good words, good deeds". Freddie and the band deliver an outstanding performance at Live Aid, helping to increase donations.
Intertitles reveal that Freddie died of AIDS-related pneumonia in 1991, leading to the re-release of "Bohemian Rhapsody" and the founding of the Mercury Phoenix Trust.
Cast
Production Development 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. 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.
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 Queen hoped for a PG-rated film about the band. 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. 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 Baron Cohen recruiting Morgan, David Fincher, and Tom Hooper.
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. Fletcher removed himself from the project early the following year, amid reports of creative disagreements with King. In August 2014, Whishaw suggested that the film was not progressing well and that there had been scripting problems. Whishaw left the project seven months later. Rumours followed in 2015 that Baron Cohen had rejoined the project, or that Whishaw might return.
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. 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. 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.
In May 2017, Malek confirmed that he had conducted recordings at Abbey Road Studios and had consulted Taylor and May. The same month, Entertainment Weekly reported that Taylor and May were serving as music producers. In August 2017, Justin Haythe was revealed to have penned another draft of the script.
Casting Susie Figgis was responsible for casting and suggesting Malek. On 4 November 2016, it was announced that Rami Malek would star as Freddie Mercury, after the producers saw his work in Mr. Robot. He had to make a pre-recording at Abbey Road Studios, which was sent to Queen members for approval. 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. 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.
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. On 11 September 2017, Mike Myers joined the cast to play EMI executive Ray Foster, and on 22 September 2017, Aaron McCusker was added to play Mercury's long-term boyfriend Jim Hutton. 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. 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.
Filming Pre-production began in July 2017 in the United Kingdom, with principal photography commencing in London in September 2017. Queen archivist Greg Brooks was instrumental in helping recreate each scene to make it as true to life as possible. He worked daily with Fox for months from the beginning, providing answers to questions. There were about a hundred extras, who were all individually scanned 360° and digitally replicated to imitate a larger crowd. The entire Live Aid performance was filmed on a giant set at the former airfield RAF Bovingdon, but in the final cut "We Will Rock You" and "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" were cut out.