The clip features Rami Malek leading the iconic rock group as frontman Freddie Mercury while a medley of Queen songs play in the background.

Seven words that instantly voided my interest.

I saw these comments on Twitter, and I agree 100%:

Freddie Mercury is one of the most famous bisexual ever to have lived. Yet in his biopic, he's depicted solely with female love interests, and they omit the entire AIDS crisis, as well as the reason he died? Under the celluloid closet, every movie with a gay/bi character has to include AIDS, or gay bashing, or a tragic romance. It was, and still is, awful. But, if you want to make a movie with queer characters that eschews those themes... maybe don't make a Freddy Mercury biopic?? Not everyone who has HIV is defined by their diagnosis. You could discuss a lot of HIV+ people's lives without it. But Freddie Mercury's legacy was completely shaped by his sexuality and death. It's not pretty. But do you want pretty, or do you want authentic?

TrivialPursuit said:

Seven words that instantly voided my interest.

I saw these comments on Twitter, and I agree 100%:

Freddie Mercury is one of the most famous bisexual ever to have lived. Yet in his biopic, he's depicted solely with female love interests, and they omit the entire AIDS crisis, as well as the reason he died? Under the celluloid closet, every movie with a gay/bi character has to include AIDS, or gay bashing, or a tragic romance. It was, and still is, awful. But, if you want to make a movie with queer characters that eschews those themes... maybe don't make a Freddy Mercury biopic?? Not everyone who has HIV is defined by their diagnosis. You could discuss a lot of HIV+ people's lives without it. But Freddie Mercury's legacy was completely shaped by his sexuality and death. It's not pretty. But do you want pretty, or do you want authentic?

That is completely insane. Part of my interest in the movie would have been what went on within the band in regards to his sexuality and the backlash it caused, how he and the band dealt with the news that he had AIDS, as well as his decisions about how to deal with it all while being the lead of a supergroup. I wonder how the band feels about this, as I recall seeing an interview with Roger Taylor and another band member in which they talked about all the turmoil within the band about these issues.

Another note from director Bryan Fuller:


ANYONE ELSE MILDLY ANNOYED (enough to tweet about it) THAT THE #BohemianRapsody TRAILER FEATURES GAY/BI SUPERSTAR FREDDIE MERCURY FLIRTING WITH AND TWIRLING WITH A WOMAN BUT NO INDICATION OF HIS LOVE OF MEN?

^^Thats a shame.

Why bother doing a Biopic if it isn't the truth? Why would they omit things that made Freddie who he was?

huh...does the trailer not clearly show (at 0:31) what appears to be the prelude to a homosexual encounter between mercury and an as yet unidentified male? it is, in fact, the only hint of sexuality that i recognized in the whole thing...

NorthC said:

Biopics never tell the truth. They're always a romanticized Hollywood version of a celebrity's life. That's why I hate them.

You and PennyPurple's replies x100!

TrivialPursuit said:

Another note from director Bryan Fuller:


ANYONE ELSE MILDLY ANNOYED (enough to tweet about it) THAT THE #BohemianRapsody TRAILER FEATURES GAY/BI SUPERSTAR FREDDIE MERCURY FLIRTING WITH AND TWIRLING WITH A WOMAN BUT NO INDICATION OF HIS LOVE OF MEN?

This guy is a self promoting pundit who clearly doesn't know anything about the band history. There are several indications within the trailer even of Freddie's homosexuality. Though the timeline doesn't seem to fit. I see a very coy and romantically seated Freddie (with long hair - indicating 71-the beginning of 77) being engaged with a guy that looks like Jim Hutton. (he met Jim Hutton in the early 80's then again in the mid 80's when they began to see each other, ultimately with Jim Hutton being his final partner/sort of husband)

ALso, you see a spat between him and someone who chucks something at a car; that appears to be John Reid (but could presumably be someone else)...

There's also Mike Myers who is possibly RTB (Roy Thomas Baker) discussing the length of the track (John Deacon ultimately made an abrupt edit, which was available in a country which escapes me now, as a single)

This guy is a self servicing wanker who wants attention from the film to be devoted to himself in a Self aggrandizing, holier than thou, GAYER than thou, blow of bullshit self righteous indignation....

So what if they don't directly and OVERTLY show he's gay. There can be no avoiding it.

This person spewing this "THEY'RE GAYRASING HIM!" stuff is part of the damn problem going on now... It's practially become a HETERO BASHING environment...and this chippy bastard is just bitching and wanting attention. Gay Hubris man...

SO.....

Indicated in the promo are Freddie's lavish party lifestyle in the 80's and possibly his final send off birthday party in munich (39th birthday send off, which was filmed and eventually released for LIVING ON MY OWN -albeit in the 1990's) which was likely at a time he realized he'd have to change and give up his lifestyle. It was the last time he had any lavish public celebrations with the hedonistic lifestyle.... onstage banters and stories told indicate that his next return there on part of the MAGIC TOUR culminated in anger and self confrontations with his new policy of 'self containment" of sorts.

Tour after tour etc... They can hardly avoid it. But I admire them for not basing the trailer on his lifestyle....it IS a music bio pic. The sum of the man hopefully. The trailer might also achieve a wider audience if it's not presented as a gay film outright... the band was not gay. Fred eventually became gay (uncertain whether he was active or abused as a child in an India boarding school...who knows.)

Anyways... i could go on and on about the guy's life and the band...

What should be focused on here is the fact that there are some glaring inaccuracies... and likely (with that party mentioned above) some deliberate COMPOSITES made of his life.

*Inaccuracies:
1) John Deacon never sang on the albums, nor was he part of the legendary harmonies. He even RARELY sang onstage (backup for LIAR, and some choruses in the early 70's, a little back up with low mic which was sometimes even OFF on the Works and Magic tours)

2) Freddie NEVER crowd surfed.... *unless this is a fantasy, the closest he came to that was a bit as a "ballet dancer in 1980 - crazy little thing/BoRhap), and being carried on a film set for that weird bit of "I Want To BReak Free"

3) Freeze frames indicate a set list that shows Both "WHITE QUEEN" (early tours 73-76 then mostly dropped from sets) alongside "FAT BOTTOMED GIRLS" (released in 1978, Toured until the Works Tour, revived with QUEEN + Paul Rodgers, until now with Sheep man)
4)Numerous costume inconsistencies with lighting rigs (indicating individual tours)

AND the fact that Rami Malek has got Raccoon/Vagina eyes.

He's got the voicing down a bit...rasp, nasal, effete, dramatic... etc. I think he might pull off the mannerisms well.

ANYWAYS... the fact that MAry Austin is PRIMARILY FEATURED IN THE TRAILER IS LIKELY BECAUSE HE LEFT MOST OF HIS FORTUNE AND HIS FINAL HOME TO HER IN HIS WILL....she was also his lifetime companion and somewhat "beard" from their dating days until his death.

[Edited 5/17/18 9:58am]

Looks a little straight (no pun intended), more movie of the week than cinematic experience. For me it is those touches like Ray Charles seeing his brother in the suitcase, or the faded kaleidoscope of his vision as he goes blind that made Ray work.

Agree that the gay (He was bi, but surely at least 70/30 was liking guys) part needs to be in the story (I am sure it is), and also the AIDS story has to be there, isn't that part of what showed the courage and private nature of someone who was outwardly a showman and peacock of the stage, craving the limelight (but aren't those just the sort of people can have a duel nature?)

Feel like an ass saying this, but the move should be the Freddie Mercury story. The band was great and are interesting musicians and top blokes, but Freddy Mercury is the main event. Reminds me of the Sacha Baron Cohen story when he auditoned for the lead, and he asked what happens at the end of the movie and they said "The band went from strength to strength" Not really interested in the John Taylor story myself. It could have been more cinematic if it focussed on Freddy Mercury (maybe it does). It is not all about the dwarves with cocaine on their heads, but I hope this is in there.

2045RadicalMattZ said:

^ John Taylor is from DURAN DURAN, isn't he? Did u mean Roger Meaddowes Taylor? ....or John Deacon?

LoL guilty, I was wondering which one to mention, but did mean to put Roger Taylor, but I think either name could apply. I chose Roger because he wrote a song called "i'm in love with my car" and John Deacon had a good hit rate with the songs he wrote. I think I was still processing that John Deacon did not sing on the albums, I always thought he did, mind you my friend was the big Queen fan not me.

[Edited 5/19/18 3:32am]

Identity said:

The clip features Rami Malek leading the iconic rock group as frontman Freddie Mercury while a medley of Queen songs play in the background.

Looks like standard PG-13 fare to me...
I want to see a full blown, balls out Freddy Mercury biopic; Freddy snorting coke off of bald chicks with dicks while riding a midget and writing a song in between...

Neversin.

PennyPurple said:

Why bother doing a Biopic if it isn't the truth? Why would they omit things that made Freddie who he was?

Because it's a "Queen" movie, not a Freddy Mercury biopic, Hollywood couldn't handle so much unrestricted awesomeness...

Neversin.

[Edited 5/19/18 7:54am]

And also its a trailer, two minutes from a movie that is about the life of what many and I feel was the greatest front man of a band. And as always there is this fake outrage, and this and that and this is a small blip of a movie. Also sorry to say, that yes everyone knew at some point Freddie battled his sexuality in his own mind, his greatest love of his life was in fact a woman. Also the band itself has said many times that FREDDIE did not want certain things known, I mean for those of us who recall, it was denied up and down by everyone he was even ill. Freddie did not want to be an advocate for a disease, he wanted to live out his last days. And many of those last days were terrible, sick and also the attempts to take away his privacy were everywhere. The man has been gone for almost 30 years now, which in fact is longer than he was with the band, I think this story needs to be told whatever way it was wanted to be told and people can go see it or not but to get outraged from a two minute trailer? I mean let it go. Freddie was a great writer, artist, singer, showman, band mate, friend and son, and that to me has to be addressed before whom he chose to sleep with.

I am interested in seeing this. Always liked Queen and Freddie Mercury is without a doubt one of THE greatest vocalists/frontmen in music history. That is how biopics are though, they tend to fabricate some things and leave out others. I guess everyone isn't always going to be satisfied when you are trying to tell a story about someone's life.