Queen will perform at the 2019 Oscar Awards ceremony on Sunday, February 24, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) has announced on social media.
The move comes the wake of the blockbuster success of Bohemian Rhapsody, the biopic about the band and its late singer, Freddie Mercury.
Rami Malek, who plays Mercury in the movie, is a frontrunner for the Best Actor Oscar. (I predict he will win).
The band performs under the name Queen+Adam Lambert, with two of the four original members, guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor, fronted by former “American Idol” star Adam Lambert, who has won critical applause as the group’s frontman over the past few years.
Bassist John Deacon has not performed with Queen or many years.
The telecast’s producers have reached out to the band weeks ago for performing in the opening slot of the show.
While “Bohemian Rhapsody” takes considerable liberties with the group’s history, the power of the band’s music and Malek’s performance have made the movie a huge commercial hit.
As of today, the picture has grossed $212 million in the U.S. and a worldwide figure of $854 million.
The Queen song that gave Bohemian Rhapsody is the most streamed song ever that originated in the 20th century.
