Queen star Brian May has assured fans the upcoming biopic of frontman Freddie Mercury is still on track despite a raft of delays.

British funnyman Sacha Baron Cohen has signed up to play the late superstar in a movie about his life, and filming was scheduled to begin last year ahead of a 2012 release.

The project was delayed, but Mercury's bandmate May has revealed he took part in a meeting this week to discuss the details and he has assured fans filming will now kick off in the spring.

In a statement posted on the Queen website, May writes, "I promised news of yesterday's Queen band meeting. Well, it was just Roger (Taylor) and (Queen's manager) Jim Beach and myself... Our main agenda was the Freddie film... which, I'm happy to tell you, is on course.

"Much of our discussion was about contractual things... it's pretty complex... and determining who is responsible for what. The pieces are all falling into place, though we are now on a slightly later schedule - filming is now scheduled to start in the spring, with Sacha Baron Cohen playing Freddie. The film should be ready for release early in 2014." (LR/AWS/ZN)