Oscars 2019: Queen to perform at ceremony after success of Bohemian Rhapsody biopic

British rock band Queen will perform live at Sunday’s Oscars ceremony.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences broke the news on its official Twitter feed, writing: ”Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy? We welcome @QueenWillRock and @adamlambert to this year’s Oscars!”

This announcement follows the blockbuster success of Best Picture nominee Bohemian Rhapsody.

Queen is now made up of members Brian May and Roger Taylor. The group’s iconic frontman, the late Freddie Mercury, is the subject of the biopic.

Lambert, a former American Idol star, will join May and Taylor to take on vocals.

“Queen and @adamlambert will ROCK YOU,” the band tweeted in response to the Academy’s message.

The Oscars are scheduled to take place on 24 February in Hollywood – and for the first time in 30 years, the ceremony will go ahead without a host.

Bohemian Rhapsody has five Academy Award nominations, including a best actor nod for Rami Malek, who plays Mercury in the biopic.

Mercury died of AIDS-related illness in London in 1991, aged 45.

The movie has taken more than $854m (£660m) at the global box office, becoming the most successful musical biopic ever.

It remains unknown which songs Queen will perform and at which point of the ceremony the band will take the stage.

Bohemian Rhapsody is not nominated for its songs or soundtrack, but other musical performances at Sunday’s ceremony will include Lady Gaga and actor-director Bradley Cooper singing their Oscar-nominated song “Shallow” from A Star is Born.

Bette Midler is scheduled to sing Best Original Song contender “The Place Where Lost Things Go” from the film Mary Poppins Returns.

Additional reporting by agencies.