03-22-2002 – ChartAttack – Robert De Niro Queen Fan?

Has Robert De Niro lost his mind? Or just his good taste?

First, the most methody of method actors agreed to appear with Eddie Murphy in the dreadful Showtime (did he not learn anything from We’re No Angels?) and now Bob has signed on to do a musical based on the music of Queen.

No, thank God, he won’t be playing the late Freddie Mercury. Or Brian May (although we’d love to see him with that poufy hairdo).

In fact, De Niro won’t be acting at all. Rather, the star of such highly respected films as Taxi Driver and Raging Bull, has put his production company, Tribeca Productions, behind a new stage show centred around the sweet sounds of Queen. It’s called We Will Rock You (what else?).

Imagine Mamma Mia, only even gayer. Like the smash ABBA Broadway hit and the proposed KISS musical, We Will Rock You won’t actually be about the band, it’ll just use the music. The show’s writer, Ben Elton has called it The Matrix meets Arthurian legend, meets Terminator 2. Uh-huh…

Yesterday De Niro told a group of reporters in London, England that he became involved in the project after meeting Brian May and Queen drummer Roger Taylor in 1996. He also said if the show is successful, there is the possibility of it eventually being turned into a movie.

We Will Rock You is to open in London’s West End on May 14. De Niro’s company is expected to shell out over $10 million dollars to mount the production. If all goes well, the show will eventually migrate across the ocean for a stint on Broadway and possibly a tour.