INT. FREDDIE MERCURY’S APARTMENT - 1971
Freddie Mercury, Brian May, John Deacon and Roger Taylor are
sitting around Freddie’s dining room table, deciding on a
name for the band.
MERCURY
I got it. Queen.
MAY
Queen?
MERCURY
Yes. It’s just a name, not that
important, but it’s very regal
obviously, and it sounds splendid.
It’s a strong name, very universal
and immediate. It has a lot of
visual potential and is open to all
sorts of interpretations.
TAYLOR
Queen... I like it. It has a nice
ring to it. I agree with him on
this one. Nice going Freddie.
DEACON
I don’t care what we call it, I
just want to play!
TAYLOR
Queen it is then.
The men continue to talk about important matters as the
screen fades to black and the beginning credits begin to
roll, showing the stars’ names and such.
INT. RECORDING STUDIO - 1973
Freddie Mercury comes out of the bathroom of the studio
while the manager is finishing up on his work. He pulls an
album from a compartment.
MANAGER
Congratulations, Mr. Mercury, you
guys have successfully recorded
your first album. You will be soon
to find out the critics’ and fans’
reactions.
Freddie runs over to his band mates, giving them all
high-fives.
MERCURY
Great job you guys. We did it!
Living the dream!
MAY
Yeah we are. This is gonna be huge.
I can’t even wait to start touring
and everything.
TAYLOR
I can honestly hear the fans
cheering us on, arena after arena.
It’s a great sound.
MANAGER
Not so fast, guys. You have to make
sure that people like it first.
Then you can talk about tours and
stuff. Pace yourselves.
MERCURY
We apologize. We’re just so pumped
for releasing our album. We swear,
it’s over.
INT. NIGHT CLUB - LATER THAT NIGHT
MERCURY
Here’s to our first album you guys!
The men all take a drink of their drinks, and they grin at
each other, huge smiles on their faces.
MAY
Hey, Freddie, do you actually think
though, that... You know, we’re
gonna hit it big?
MERCURY
I’m as sure of that as I am that
I’m sitting right in front of you.
TAYLOR
May, just listen to the man. I’m
pretty sure he knows what he’s
talking about.
MAY
Well, you heard our manager. He
said that we shouldn’t be too
overconfident of it. I’m just
taking a cautious approach. I don’t
want to be wasting my time doing
this.
MERCURY
I know that. I’ve just got high
hopes. You are the first band I’ve
been with that’s been anywhere near
success. I guess we’ll just have to
wait and hear what the critics
think about it before we actually
release it. I’m hoping as much as
you are that we do good, and I’m
trying to keep our spirits high and
out of worry, so we aren’t
extremely paranoid about anything.
MAY
Well, you’re doing a pretty good
job of it. I’ve almost forgotten my
worries about this, but I can’t
bring myself to completely let go
of them. It’s just a real bad habit
that I’ve got...
MERCURY
Well let it go, will you? Jesus.
The band all continue to talk the night away about their
recording session and how they think that the album will
fare with the audiences and the critics.
INT. FREDDIE MERCURY’S APARTMENT - AFTER THE DEBUT
The band are all sitting at Freddie Mercury’s apartment
again, thinking about what to do.
MERCURY
I don’t want to give up. Nobody’s
really had an amazing debut album!
Come on, you guys aren’t actually
going to quit, are you?
MAY
Hell no! I’m staying here. I think
that it’s the right thing to do,
and there isn’t a way that I’m
going to quit!
TAYLOR
Same here, and I suppose Deacon
isn’t going to need to speak about
this. Right?
Deacon gets up without beginning to argue and goes to the
bathroom. He comes back out about 30 seconds later.
DEACON
Yeah, I’ll keep coming with you
guys. Not really for the fame, but
just because I want to have a hell
of a good time!
They continue to sit in the apartment, and Mercury’s phone
rings.
MERCURY
Hello?
TONYA(ON THE OTHER LINE)
Hello, I was told that I could
reach John Deacon through this
phone number.
MERCURY
Yeah, hang on.
Freddie takes the phone down and looks at Deacon.
MERCURY
Hey, Johnny Boy, it’s for you.
DEACON
Yeah, don’t call me Johnny Boy.
MERCURY
Whatever.
Deacon walks over to the phone and takes it from John.
DEACON
Hello
TONYA
Hey, this is Tonya, from high
school. I bought your album today,
and I really must say that I
thought it was great.
DEACON
That’s great, what happened to your
boyfriend, Paul or whatever his
name was?
TONYA
I got rid of him. He turned poor.
DEACON
And now that I’m famous you want to
be with me again? Hell no, you left
me for money reasons, you’re not
coming back for the same reason.
Without another word, Deacon hangs up the phone. He sits
back down and the others just look at him.
MAY
That took guts man. You’ve been
single forever, and you turned a
woman down. I need to give you some
credit for that.
May reaches over to pat Deacon on the back and Deacon slaps
his hand away.
EXT. A PARK - 1974
The four men are seen sitting at a bench in a small park a
few miles from John Deacon’s house.
DEACON
Well, we need to get our asses
working. Our first two albums
haven’t sold so good.
MAY
Don’t worry, John. We’ll get
something figured out sooner or
later.
DEACON
You sure about that?
MAY
Yeah, pretty sure.
DEACON
You asked me this once before, so
I’m asking you. You’re sticking
with us through hard times as well
as high times, right?
MAY
Yeah I am. This is my dream, and
we’re doing it. I know it’s going
slow, but it’s going to pick up, so
I’m here to stay you guys. You’ve
been great friends to me, and I
know that this is just what we need
MAY
to do. We need to stick together
until something big happens for us.
MERCURY
That’s the spirit, my boy!
INT. RECORDING STUDIO
Three of the four men, Brian May being the one absent, are
in the recording studio, discussing their next album with
their manager.
MANAGER
So where is he? May?
MERCURY
He’s got some medical problems, and
won’t be able to make it to some
meetings and other work that we’re
doing with this album until later.
I don’t think we’re going to need
him much anyway, we’re just trying
some new things out for now, aren’t
we?
MANAGER
Yes, but I’d rather he be here to
know what’s going on.
MERCURY
Well, we’ll get him all caught up
when he gets back I guess.
MANAGER
Alright, but you’re going to have
to do it on your own time. I’ve got
a hectic schedule, and a lot of
people who think that they’re the
most high profile people in the
universe, so...
MERCURY
No problem.
The band goes into the room where their instruments are
cuttingeto thempplayinguaround withithe stuff,egetting a
feel for the music, no dialog for the rest of the scene.
INT. DRESSING ROOM IN JAPAN - 1975
The four men are in their dressing room after their first
concert in Japan. Their manager and Elton John’s manager
both come into the room.
MANAGER
How did you like that? You’re first
Japan concert in the many that you
will all have to come in the
future!
MERCURY
It was great. I don’t think I’ve
ever felt better, to be honest. I
think that was one of my favorite
concerts to perform.
MANAGER
Well, we made a load of money in
ticket sales, which is going to
make up for the very expensive
album that you guys made in the
studio.
MERCURY
Sorry about that. We just felt that
we needed a style that is different
from all others. A style to show
who we really were. You know, that
sort of thing.
MANAGER
Yeah, it cost me a fortune, and you
owe me big since I had the money to
cover your studio time. It was
worth it though, because I have
news that that album is a huge hit,
and sold triple platinum in the
USA.
MERCURY
Well, America loves us, I guess.
Not much else I can say about that.
MANAGER
I know, and it’s beautiful. You
guys are getting richer by the
second.
MERCURY
It’s something about us that they
love, but you know, money’s money.
Everyone looks at Freddie as though he said something that
was almost sinful. He shuts up for the rest of the scene,
and the song "Killer Queen" plays in the background while
everyone just sits around, looking at Freddie for a few
seconds.
INT. RESTAURANT
The band is seen at a fancy restaurant, waiting for their
food, back in England. They are talking about the great tour
that they had in Japan, and are discussing what to do with
their next album.
MERCURY
I have a name picked out for it,
too.
MAY
And what is this oh-so-brilliant
name?
MERCURY
A Day At The Races.
MAY
And why this?
MERCURY
It just captures peoples’
attention.
The other members look at Freddie Mercury with very
questioning expressions on their faces.
DEACON
Who told you this name sounded
good?
MERCURY
Does it matter? I just don’t
understand why we can’t use the
name. People always use weird names
for their albums, and A Night At
The Opera wasn’t really something
of the norm in my personal opinion.
Why should this be any different?
MAY
I... I don’t know. We just can’t
use this name.
MERCURY
Too bad. We’re using it. I’ve been
the one to sign our first label, I
think I should get some kind of say
in the naming of our albums.
TAYLOR
He’s got a point you guys. Let’s
just go with it. That, and it’ll be
good to shut him up.
MAY
I agree with him. Let’s just go
with that.
MERCURY
Thank you!
INT. BARBER SHOP - 1976
The band is at a barber shop somewhere in England, not too
far from the studio, getting haircuts at the same time.
Freddie’s is done first, and the other three get done a few
minutes later.
MERCURY
I think that we need to do
something to advertise the band a
little bit better.
MAY
Like what?
MERCURY
I don’t know, but I just don’t
think that we’re getting the
reaction that I want us to get over
here in England. They love us
everywhere else, but we just don’t
have what it takes to hit the top
over here.
TAYLOR
Well, that’s life, I guess.
MERCURY
But there has got to be a way we
can better ourselves. What is it
though?
MAY
Not real sure that there is a way.
EXT. WEMBLEY STADIUM - 1986
The scene fades to black and a caption comes up, reading
"Ten Years Later".
youtube.com/watch?v=faUuwRDRrqA&feature=relatedINT. HOSPITAL - 1991
The scene shows Freddie Mercury in a hospital bed, and the
caption on screen reads "April, 1991". The rest of the band
is sitting around the bed, him barely awake.
MERCURY
I don’t want the three of you
telling anyone, so you are the only
ones who know this.
MAY
Who know what?
MERCURY
I have AIDS.
The band members look at one another, shocked to hear this.
They aren’t real sure what to make of it, and just look at
one another, wondering what they’re going to do.
TAYLOR
Jesus, this cannot be possible!
That means that you’re going to
die!
MERCURY
Yeah. Sure does.
Freddie lays his head more comfortably on his pillow.
MAY
Well, how long have you known about
this?
MERCURY
A couple of years though. People
speculated that there was something
wrong with me, because honestly,
you have to have noticed that my
health has been slowly
deteriorating.
INT. NEWSROOM - ONE YEAR LATER
Freddie Mercury is in a news room, being interviewed by a
British reporter. Freddie is the only one to speak in this
scene.
MERCURY
I want it known to the world today,
that I have been suffering from the
symptoms of AIDS. It has been no
secret that I’ve had something
wrong with me, and nobody except
for me and the band have known
about it for a while, and the band
only found out recently. I know, I
should have told at least my mates
earlier about it, but it was just
too late. I couldn’t hold it in any
longer, and it will make me feel a
lot better about myself to know
that the world now knows about it.
INT. FUNERAL HOME - ONE WEEK LATER
The band members are all around a casket, but Mercury is
missing. The camera zooms in to show Mercury in the casket,
and the other band members not looking very happy about what
they’re seeing.
MAY
I just.. I can’t believe that he’s
gone. I never would have guessed
that he’d be gone so young, I
guess.
TAYLOR
It’s gonna be alright man. We’ll
keep the band running in his
memory.
DEACON
Yeah we will. We promised him that
we would stick together through
good times and bad, and this is
just one of those times that we are
gonna need to stick together.
EXT. WEMBLEY STADIUM - APRIL 20, 1992
The day of a Freddie Mercury Tribute has come, many acts
show up, and a great concert is held, starring the remaining
members of Queen. The main act has yet to come.
