Ben Whishaw to Portray Freddy Mercury in Upcoming Film Biopic

Last month, BWW reported that Ben Whishaw was the first choice of the surviving members of Queen to portray Freddy Mercury in an upcoming biopic. Whishaw is perhaps best known as 'gadget guru Q' in the latest James Bond saga.

According to today's Deadline, Whishaw has now officially been cast in the role for the film penned by playwright and screenwriter Peter Morgan who received Academy Award noms for his screenplays of "Frost/Nixon" and "The Queen."

Sacha Baron Cohen, who brought Morgan on for the project, was originally set to portray Mercury. Dexter Fletcher ('Sunshine on Leith') is set to direct the biopic which will begin filming next year.

Whishaw is known for his stage role as Hamlet, as well as his roles in the television series Nathan Barley, Criminal Justice and The Hour and film roles including Perfume: The Story of a Murderer, I'm Not There, Bright Star,Brideshead Revisited, and Cloud Atlas. He played the role of Q in the James Bond film Skyfall