Did Queen’s Brian May Confirm a ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ Sequel?
Queen “paid its dues time after time” throughout their journey together but rocked the world when Bohemian Rhapsody hit theaters in 2018. The Oscar-winning biopic focuses on the rise of the rock ‘n’ roll band and its talented lead singer, Freddie Mercury.
After Rami Malek won the Academy Award for Best Actor, the movie garnered much attention and praise. Queen’s lead guitarist, Brian May, and drummer, Roger Taylor, largely participated in the production. Brian once said he wasn’t in favor of a sequel, but he “May” have changed his mind.
Details about ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’
The musical flick sings with variety, from its touching moments to its hilarious commentary. The film opens with one of its most important scenes: the 1985 Live Aid concert. The camera follows Mercury through Wembley Stadium’s backstage area as he and Queen are about to perform.
According to USA Today, the overwhelming scene was shot over the course of one week in London on an old airstrip. The production recreated Wembley Stadium and welcomed May, Taylor, and the Live Aid concert’s original organizer, Bob Geldof, to the set. Around 2,000 extras were cast to film the concert sequence, but CGI multiplied the crowd to resemble the packed stadium.
Gwilym Lee (May), Ben Hardy (Taylor), Joseph Mazzello (lead bassist, John Deacon), and Malek had six weeks to rehearse for the epic scene. On filming it, Malek opened up about the adrenaline they thrived off of.
“Doing the entire run-through of that concert, you feel the peaks and valleys of where the adrenaline is kicking in,” Malek said. “You’re so high off adrenaline that you realize that’s exactly how they were able to do what they were doing. It’s that quality that makes you feel, even for just a moment, that you’re superhuman.”
Brian May might be working on a sequel
In an Instagram Live video, the guitarist and astrophysicist claimed a sequel for Bohemian Rhapsody could be in the works. A general plot and script, however, have not been confirmed yet.
According to The Sun, May said a sequel is currently being looked into and mentioned that “We have been looking at ideas.” The musician said this in response to the question of whether a sequel would ever be possible.
May touched on the clarity of the sequel’s angle, admitting that “It’s going to be hard to follow that one as none of us could have predicted how massive that was going to be…We put a lot of heart and soul into making [Bohemian Rhapsody] and no one could have predicted as it was bigger than Gone With The Wind.”
Fans of the original 2018 biopic rejoiced at the sound of May’s confirmation. However, they shouldn’t be quick to assume the certainty of a new film. May ended his answer with, “But yes, we are thinking maybe it could happen but it would have to be a great script.”
May once denied that a sequel would ever happen
Although a tentative sequel is an intriguing idea, May once said he didn’t see a possibility for a second movie. Most recall that the film ends on a definitive note about Mercury, so they are wondering how a sequel would blend in with this.
In a conversation with Rolling Stone in 2020, Queen’s guitarist said that they thought about producing a sequel. However, May said that at the moment, it wasn’t the best idea.
“I don’t think that would be an uplifting thing to do,” May remarked. “I’m not saying it’s impossible because there is a great story there, but we don’t feel that’s the story we want to tell at the moment…We don’t really think there’s another movie there. That’s the long and the short of it. I think we should look somewhere else. There are other ideas that we had, but I don’t think a sequel will happen.”
Related: Why Did ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ Upset Freddie Mercury’s Mother?
