Sacha Baron Cohen explains the real reason he dropped out of Freddie Mercury biopic [Video]

Sacha Baron Cohen has opened up about clashing with the band Queen over plans for a Freddie Mercury biopic.

The Borat star was originally signed on to play the legendary Queen singer, who died of AIDS-related illness in 1991, in a biopic made in collaboration with the band.

The project hit a stumbling block in 2013 when the actor opted to pull out of the project over “creative differences” – and though Bond star Ben Whishaw was signed to replace him, the film later stalled due to scripting problems.

Speaking to Howard Stern this week, Sacha Baron Cohen finally opened up about the reason for his rift with the band – confirming they had tried to “clean up” his vision for the film, as well as taking the focus away from Mercury.He said: “There are amazing stories about Freddie Mercury… the guy was wild. He was living an extreme lifestyle – debauchery! There are stories of little people with plates …