Daniel Radcliffe to Play the Role He Was Born for… ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic
As strange as this may sound, “Weird Al” Yankovic’s life is going to be the subject of a biopic, and Daniel Radcliffe has signed on to play him. Weird: The Al Yankovic Story will be Roku’s first original biopic. It will be written by Funny or Die’s Eric Appel along with Yankovic and Appel will serve as the director.
“The biopic holds nothing back, exploring every facet of Yankovic’s life, from his meteoric rise to fame with early hits like ‘Eat It’ and ‘Like a Surgeon’ to his torrid celebrity love affairs and famously depraved lifestyle,” says the tongue-in-cheek release. “Weird: The Al Yankovic Story takes audiences on a truly unbelievable journey through Yankovic’s life and career, from gifted child prodigy to the greatest musical legend of all time.”
“When my last movie UHF came out in 1989, I made a solemn vow to my fans that I would release a major motion picture every 33 years, like clockwork. I’m very happy to say we’re on schedule,” Yankovic added in a statement. “And I am absolutely thrilled that Daniel Radcliffe will be portraying me in the film. I have no doubt whatsoever that this is the role future generations will remember him for.”
If this sounds like more Funny or Die sketch than an actual movie, that’s because they actually created such a video in 2010 that they also called Weird: The Al Yankovic Story. The three-minute mock trailer featured Aaron Paul, Gary Cole, Olivia Wilde, Mary Steenburgen, and Patton Oswalt. They have not announced any members of the cast for the actual movie outside of Radcliffe.
The real “Weird Al” is launching an extensive North American tour on April 26th in Poughkeepsie, New York, that will keep him on the road until Oct. 29 when he plays his first show at New York’s Carnegie Hall (see tickets here). It’s unclear what timeframe will be covered in the biopic, but that would make for a perfect grand finale.
