Hollywood movie star Robert De Niro teamed up with members of Queen in London on Tuesday for the launch of a futuristic new musical based on the legendary rock band. The Taxi Driver star, who is backing the show with his Tribeca Productions company, flew into the British capital for a run-through of the production which opens in London in May.
"We Will Rock You" sprang out of a meeting between the veteran rockers and Robert at a post-screening party for the actor’s film "Sleepers" at the 1996 Venice Film Festival. “I think it is going to be terrific,” he said at the London press conference. Originally, the musical which will feature 31 of the band’s smash hits including "We Are The Champions", "Bohemian Rhapsody", and "Crazy Little Thing Called Love", was planned as a biography of the band. But believing the result would be too “embarrassing” for their wives and girlfriends, band members finally decided to get British comedian Ben Elton on board as scriptwriter.
The result is a futuristic musical featuring a world in which musical instruments are banned and everyone watches the same films and wears the same fashions. Rebellion is in the air, however… “Queen’s music is uniquely theatrical,” says Ben. “I had this vision where The Matrix meets Arthurian legend meets The Terminator. The show opens at London’s Dominion Theatre in May.
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Robert De Niro first teamed up with the remaining members of the legendary rock band six years ago. "That's how long things take," he explained at this week's London press conference
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Queen drummer Roger Taylor said he thought the band's late vocalist would have approved of the new project. "Freddie would have loved it," he says. "He was a very theatrical character"
