The Nikkan Sports newspaper reported today (Japanese-language article here) that legendary manga and anime creator Leiji Matsumoto is creating a music video for the legendary U.K. rock band Queen, per this article from the Anime News Network.

Matsumoto, the creator of such manga and/or anime series as Galaxy Express 999, Space Pirate Captain Harlock and Space Battleship Yamato (the latter released in North America under the title Star Blazers), is using concepts from his current manga project Out of Galaxy Koshika and the classic Queen song Bohemian Rhapsody for the new video.

The article from ANN above notes that while Queen has used English animation in their works before, they specifically requested Japanese creators on the new project, as they are self-confessed “Japanophiles.”

This is not the only new project based on a work by Leiji Matsumoto in the pipeline-a new live-action movie based on Space Battleship Yamato is set for release in Japan in December of 2010.

UPDATE: A further update of the ANN article above notes that a portion of the video, officially titled “Bohemian Rhapsody ~feat. Leiji Matsumoto,” will be released on November 24th–the 18th anniversary of former Queen lead singer Freddie Mercury‘s death–at special events in Tokyo and Osaka. The full video is to be released by the end of the year.

FURTHER UPDATE: The official Japanese website for Queen has posted two screen captures of “Bohemian Rhapsody ~feat. Leiji Matsumoto,” per this new article from ANN. To see the two screenshots on Queen’s Japanese official site, go to the post marked “（2009/11/25 UP ）.”