To the long list of actors who’ve starred in musicians’ biopics of late, you might need to add Johnny Depp. MTV News reports that Jack Sparrow himself is in talks to play Freddie Mercury (pictured, left) in a movie being developed by Robert De Niro’s Tribeca Productions. (I’m a bit perturbed as to why the drummer—not even the singer, but the drummer—of a Queen tribute band is the only person quoted in this report.)
Depp (at right) has played a singularly eclectic collection of real-life characters—Ed Wood, Hunter S. Thompson, Keith Richards. Still, I don’t know if I can see Depp playing the rhapsodic Queen frontman. For as wacky and over the top as Depp can sometimes be, even the flamboyance of Jack Sparrow can in no way compare to Mercury. Also, there’s the unpleasant little matter of age: Depp is 43, just two years younger than Mercury was when he died in 1991. So let’s hope this rumor is nothing more.
What are your favorite musical biopics? And can you think of someone better suited to play Freddie Mercury than Johnny Depp?
Jonathan Rhys-Meyers?
Ryan Gosling
Can Mika act? He’s a young’un but he’s certainly got the singing chops for Freddie Mercury and people are already comparing them…
Sacha Boren Cohen
This is a tough one, since Freddie was of Zoraustrian heritage. I think Johnny is just as good a choice as any, since producers would be hard-pressed to find an actor that possessed all of Freddie’s traits naturally.
Johnny Depp is a wonderful actor and I think he’s the perfect choice for this part.
My first instinct is no, Johnny’s not right. But he’s proven himself to be a real chameleon and he just might pull it off.
They got this one right, it should be Johnny Depp.
Cillian Murphy would be awesome! He disappears in his characters. Johnny Depp only does that with characters that are not physically well-known, like in “Finding Neverland.”
I don’t know about Johnny, we’ll have to see. But I like that it’s DeNiro’s company doing it, as he’s involved with Queen’s musical We Will Rock You and so already deals with Brian & Roger. That gives it more credibility to me as far as portraying Freddie’s story fairly and accurately.
??? This might be compilcated. Technically Mercury was South African and his parents are Persian. They moved to England when Mercury was a baby. If they want to do it close to his genes then I would say Oded Ferer from The Mummy. Just give the guy a buzz cut once they get to the eighties part. I can’t picture Depp as Mercury.
I’m hard-pressed to think of anyone who could do a better job than Depp. Maybe Christian Bale? Both of those guys could pull it off, though they might not instantly spring to mind.
Interesting that your permalink for this entry is suggesting Gary Oldman.
How about Jake Gyllenhaal, Joaquin Phoenix, or Sacha Baron Cohen?
Johnny Depp is an awesome actor, he is believable. Some of the ones suggested, come on, we want to see someone who can act! Aside from looking the part, maybe Depp does not. But I would only watch it if it were a good actor portraying him.