Gossip

Rock on? Brian May and Ben Elton working on We Will Rock You sequel

As the Queen musical prepares to make its final bow at the Dominion Theatre, news of a follow-up has emerged

We Will Rock You fans preparing to wave goodbye to the Queen musical in the West End on 31 May will no doubt be heartened by news that a sequel is on the way.

Queen guitarist Brian May and WWRY book writer Ben Elton, together with members of the cast, presented a workshop performance of We Will Rock You 2 in London recently following two weeks of development work.

Writing on his blog recently, May said: "The news is leakily out there. We did it! We workshopped the SEEK [sequel]… To great acclaim in a tiny room in Belsize Park… After just two weeks insanely intense 24/7 work. The seed is sown! My thanks to all for the passion that everyone put in."

He then posted the following 'wrap' picture, featuring cast members including MiG Ayesa, Hannah Jane Fox and Brenda Edwards. He also revealed the working title for the production is 'TSMGO' (The Show Must Go On)'.

Set in the future, We Will Rock You tells the story of a world in which globalisation has meant the death of real music in favour of computer-produced cyber stars.

The rebellious Bohemians, harking back to the 'Golden Age of rock' (embodied by Queen), attempt to overthrow the Killer Queen so that they can write and perform their own music.

The show features more than 30 of Queen's greatest hits including "Bohemian Rhapsody", "Crazy Little Thing Called Love", "Under Pressure", "Radio Gaga" and, of course, "We Will Rock You". Whether the sequel includes further songs from the Queen back catalogue, or new material, is unknown.

We Will Rock You won five WhatsOnStage Awards, including Best New Musical, after opening on 14 May 2002. It's the fifth longest-running musical currently running in the West End, and tenth on the all-time list, according to the Society of London Theatre (SOLT).