Every once in a while, a piece of casting news comes out of left field and seems like the best possible choice for a film. That is 100% the case in this piece of news, as Borat’s Sacha Baron Cohen has signed to play Queen frontman Freddie Mercury in an upcoming untitled biopic about the band.

The script comes from writer Peter Morgan, who also brought historical dramas like Frost/Nixon and The Queen to the silver screen. Morgan is currently finishing another draft of the script, which means we will most likely see production for the film begin be the beginning of next year.

Baron Cohen, who’s most known for his Kaufman-esque stunts as Borat and Brüno, may be stepping out of his outlandish comedic role to play more of an outlandish musical character. Though the flamboyance of Mercury could be seen as a parallel to some of Cohen’s other roles, we can’t imagine this film being done in the same vain as Da Ali G Show.

Rights have been purchased for such Queen classics as Bohemian Rhapsody, We Will Rock You, We Are the Champions, Another One Bites The Dust and You’re My Best Friend. No word on whether or not Cohen will actually step in to rerecord the vocals, but knowing his method-style of acting, we can imagine he might.

The film is currently under the banner of GK Films, who will produce alongside De Niro and Jane Rosenthal’s Tribeca Productions. More news will likely break in the coming months as to the casting and plot outline for the rest of the film.

Gay rights is a huge topic this year, and rightfully so. After Proposition 8 in California and other gay marriage laws being passed in states like New Hampshire and Connecticut, it’s on everyone’s minds. While not exactly a sequel to 2007’s Borat, but still familiar territory, Bruno has hit theaters at what seems to be the perfect time.

Bruno is a character from Sasha Baron Cohen’s HBO show, The Ali G Show. After getting kicked off of his hit Austrian fashion show, we follow Bruno’s quest to become “uber famous”: first as a Hollywood celebrity, then a hit interviewer, and finally as a humanitarian. While on this quest his “assistant’s assistant” Lutz is chasing after Bruno’s fleeting affections.

What this film suffers from, which didn’t seem to hinder Borat so much, is just how plot driven it is. The filmmakers certainly had a story to tell, but the interviews and celebrity candids tell the story enough—our country, despite how progressive or culturally advanced it may seem, has a serious homophobia problem. I didn’t need a plot to tell me that, though. Borat felt like a journey, and this felt like a narrative, which I didn’t go to the theater wanting or expecting.

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