Borat actor Sacha Baron Cohen will not take on the role of Freddie Mercury in a forthcoming biopic on the late Queen frontman.
There were strong rumours over the last few days that the moustachioed faux-Kazakh journalist would take on the role of Mercury, but this has been dismissed as "absolutely untrue" and "pure hokum" by the actor's publicist.As reported by Undercover last year, Johnny Depp is said to be in negotiations to play Mercury, with Queen guitarist Brian May saying the actor "would be a worthy counterpart for Freddie on screen".
Meanwhile, Baron Cohen's real-life brother has composed a sixteen minute orchestral piece for the West Kazakhstan Philharmonic Orchestra. Titled 'Zere', it incorporates elements of traditional Kazakh folk music - and in a case of life imitating art, it is named after the Kazakh company that sponsored the composition.
