Brian May, CBE,

We are the champions of Sacha Baron Cohen.

Before a cursory glance and dismissal of our chance to demur, consider that we're sincere and dispirited over the parting of Cohen as lead role and collaborator in a film that could easily matter. We've gotta boldly underline that the ideal conditions for delivering a compelling tribute are now passed and without that inimitable casting, the thing's gonna end up in the bargain bin.

Here's why:

1: It's more important than you may think.

Though Cohen's framed his name on a proclivity toward ribaldry and satire, there's that unmistakeable concern for disrobing the enmity that still gets thrust at those of us like Freddie - whose panoptic desires compel potential supporters to throw the baby out with the bathwater and overlook a bulk of prodigious shit.

Not only do we selfishly want a great film, we're hoping that a stubborn class of rock n' roll fans, cheated by their own prejudice, will be mortally rocked to remorse and revelation. Even with a such a broad latitude of acting capability, Cohen still holds the spirited interest of that unfledged demographic. How the hell can you pass that up when school kids are still getting fucked with for being "faggots"?

The ball-breakers, handshakers, intransigent parents, tormenters, and cynics don't need that icon at full throttle. They need something innocuous to eat Milk Duds to.

But true and gentle hearts deserve a triumph that won't be accomplished in a pillowed, feel-good film with the edges feathered out.

2: Cohen is the only person for the role.

When the rumor first surfaced, we felt a surge of authentic satisfaction. Sacha's a complete package. He's perceptive enough to help guide the film's approach toward any relevance; and seriously, beyond his visual and vocal harmony with Freddie, he's a cuttlefish. A method actor intent on nothing short of a holistic metamorphosis that remains unbroken long after the cameras stop rolling.

Reversing your appraisal of him, we feel that audiences, were already immersed, disbelief already suspended.

3: The band should be on hand solely to ensure verisimilitude.

It's been said that once you create something, it's not yours anymore. There's a distinct context that comes from being in the audience. Ultimately, the music of Queen is relinquished to millions of individual histories. These signatures represent those disregarded details and resent pulling a cheaper rabbit out of the same hat.

That first bit of magic blew our minds. The surrogate rabbit blew the film.

With all due respect to Ben Whishaw,

The Champions