UPDATE: Bohemian Rhapsody producer Graham King tells Slash Film that reports of a sequel aren’t true. The original article follows.
Queen’s music video director Rudi Dolezal says a sequel to hit film Bohemian Rhapsody is “being heavily discussed.” After lingering in development hell for years and then going through an extremely troubled production, the Freddie Mercury biopic finally hit theaters last fall, bringing the music icon’s life to the big screen. At the time of its release, Bohemian Rhapsody was criticized for adhering to Hollywood formula and downplaying certain aspects of Mercury’s personal life, but the film was able to overcome that mixed reception. It ended up becoming the highest-grossing musical biopic of all-time and was a surprise player on the awards circuit.
In addition to star Rami Malek essentially sweeping the season by picking up numerous trophies for his turn as Mercury, Bohemian Rhapsody also won Best Picture - Drama at the Golden Globes and was nominated for Best Picture at the 91st Oscars. Those accolades, combined with the movie’s $875.7 million worldwide gross, illustrated that it connected with a lot of people and was a favorite of many. With there being such a sizable audience for Queen, fans might be able to see more of the band’s story at the multiplex in the future.
Speaking with Page Six, Dolezal teased talk is already being had about a possible followup film, noting that such a project is “being heavily discussed in the Queen family.” Dolezal also said Queen’s manager Jim Beach might have “plans for a sequel that starts with Live Aid.” It’s worth mentioning that Malek and Queen’s record label haven’t heard anything about a sequel yet.
What’s curious about Dolezal’s comments is that Bohemian Rhapsody ends with a well-received reconstruction of Queen’s legendary Live Aid set, so it would be odd if a second movie began with the concert. It would probably make more sense for a hypothetical sequel to pick up shortly after the Live Aid show, chronicling the band’s final years with Mercury as the frontman. Another route to take, considering Bohemian Rhapsody ended with a title card detailing Mercury’s 1991 death, would be to explore Queen’s time with Paul Rodgers and Adam Lambert, where veteran members Brian May and Roger Taylor toured in the 2000s and 2010s. Obviously, that would eliminate Bohemian Rhapsody’s strongest selling point (Malek as Mercury), but there’s potential there for a good story about Queen’s post-Mercury chapter and their enduring legacy.
Right now, this is all in the theoretical stages and it remains to be seen if a Bohemian Rhapsody 2 actually comes into fruition. 20th Century Fox, of course, is about to become part of Disney’s media empire, so the fate of any future Queen movies would be up to the Mouse House. Considering how successful Bohemian Rhapsody was, there’s clear business incentive to bankroll a followup, so it’ll be interesting to see what happens. The odds of this panning out seem low, but if a creative team cracks the right narrative, Disney may decide to go with it.
More: Bohemian Rhapsody’s Ending Saves A Bland Queen Movie
Source: Page Six
