Ben Whishaw is Queen's Top Choice to Play Freddy Mercury in Biopic

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the surviving members of the band Queen have selected Ben Whishaw as their top choice to portray the late rocker Freddie Mercury in an upcoming biopic.Whishaw is perhaps best known as 'gadget guru Q' in the latest James Bond saga.

The film will be penned by 'Frost/Nixon/ playwright and screenwriter Peter Morgan who was nominated for a Drama Desk in 2007. He also received Academy Award noms for He his screenplays of "Frost/Nixon" and "The Queen."

Queen drummer Roger Taylor shared the group's number choice while on air on the UK's BBC One yesterday while promoting his new solo album as well as a box set of his entire non-Queen catalog to be released shortly.

When probed about the biopic and who should take on the role of Mercury, Taylor said the actor the band would like most has the initials "B.W.," When asked if he was referring to Whishaw, Taylor said: "Well, we hope so." Originally, funnyman Sacha Baron Cohen had been cast in the role however he left the film due to "creative differences.

In an interview in the November issue of Mojo magazine, the musician revealed that progress has been, " painstakingly slow." Media in the UK has been abuzz with rumors as to whether the project will even be completed. Perhaps word that the band is solidly behind a new candidate for the role of Mercury is a positive sign for its success.