Sacha Baron Cohen taking singing lessons for Freddie Mercury role

London: Hollywood actor-comedian Sacha Baron Cohen is reportedly taking singing lessons as he is playing Freddie Mercury in a forthcoming biopic.

The funnyman, who previously showed off his singing skills in movie musicals ‘Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street’ and ‘Les Miserables’, is set to play the late Queen vocalist in a new project. Filming is due to kick off this spring, and Cohen is now reportedly training with a vocal coach to make sure he can hit the high notes just like the late musician. "Cohen is a huge Queen fan and is focused on getting Mercury`s mannerisms, style and speech perfect. He is working on building his vocals. It is an uphill task, because Mercury has such a unique power and tone," femalefirst.co.uk. quoted Cohen as saying. The film is scheduled for a 2014 release. IANS