Queen Biopic 'Bohemian Rhapsody' Might Be Getting a Sequel
Bohemian Rhapsody, the often silly but also hugely entertaining Queen biopic, may not have walked away with Best Picture at the 2o19 Oscars, but it scored star Rami Malek (also of the TV show Mr. Robot) his first Academy Award. It also made a truckload of money. The movie did well in the U.S., earning about $215 million at the box office on an estimated $52 million budget, but it fared even better abroad no doubt thanks to Queen's global appeal, with $660 million in foreign ticket sales for a total gross of approximately $876 million-a figure that smashed records for musical biopics.
So it's perhaps no surprise that, despite the fact that Bohemian Rhapsody ends (real-life spoiler here) with Queen lead singer Freddie Mercury dying from HIV/AIDS-related complications, the filmmakers may want to cash in on a sequel that further explores the larger-than-life British band's history.
Page Six reports that Rudi Dolezal, the director of multiple Queen videos, says the band's manager Jim Beach, who was also a producer on Bohemian Rhapsody, is keen about the idea of making a follow-up movie. "I’m sure he plans a sequel that starts with Live Aid,” Dolezal said in the interview, adding that a second film is currently "being heavily discussed in the Queen family." (In the fuzzy timeline of Bohemian Rhapsody, things wrap up with Queen's epic Live Aid performance, though that actually happened in 1985, well before Mercury's death in 1991. Queen has also continued to perform without their late frontman, which could provide further material for another movie.)
As if anyone needed more proof that Queen is timeless, the popularity of Bohemian Rhapsody seems to point to a resurgence in products related to the group. Dolezal himself is writing a book titled My Friend, Freddie, and will release his personal interviews with Mercury in a film called Freddie Mercury: In His Own Words. And Queen guitarist Brian May has also alluded to a potential sequel, saying last year, "I think Live Aid is a good point to leave it. Who knows, there might be a sequel."
There's no confirmation of the sequel, but don't be surprised if you're rocking along to "We Are the Champions" at the movie theater again. Also note to potential producers: Please find a way to include "Under Pressure" this time, too.
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