Daniel Radcliffe to Portray 'Weird Al' Yankovic in Roku Original Movie About Parody Musician
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
getty (2)
Daniel Radcliffe is venturing into new — and "weird" — territory!
The 32-year-old actor has signed on to portray legendary parody musician "Weird Al" Yankovic in an upcoming comedic biopic, produced by Funny or Die and Tango and set to air on the Roku Channel.
Titled WEIRD: The Al Yankovic Story, "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," a hilarious press release shares.
The Roku Original promises to take "audiences on a truly unbelievable journey through Yankovic's life and career, from gifted child prodigy to the greatest musical legend of all time."
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human-interest stories.
Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty "Weird Al" Yankovic
Yankovic, 62, said in the release that he is "absolutely thrilled that Daniel Radcliffe will be portraying" him in the film, joking of the Harry Potter actor, "I have no doubt whatsoever that this is the role future generations will remember him for."
"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," he quipped.
Roku Head of Original Scripted Programming Colin Davis joked in the release, "There clearly aren't enough biopic movies about famous musicians and we were excited to shine a light on the incredibly true, unexaggerated story of Weird Al."
"This is sincerely the ultimate combination of talent, creativity and friends, coming together to make something genuinely funny and we could not be prouder to call this film a Roku Original," Davis added of the film, which will begin production early next month in Los Angeles.
RELATED VIDEO: "Weird Al" Yankovic Puts His Spin on Some Iconic PEOPLE Covers
Yankovic is the undisputed king of song parodies. He has been spoofing radio hits since he was a teenager, and has gotten the blessing of almost every artist he has ever parodied, from Michael Jackson to The Knack.
"Lady Gaga called it a 'rite of passage,' " Yankovic, who has won five Grammys, told PEOPLE in 2016. "Kurt Cobain said you haven't really made it until there's a Weird Al spoof."
As for Radcliffe, he plays a villain in the upcoming comedy The Lost City, alongside Channing Tatum and Sandra Bullock — the latter of whom praised Radcliffe in an interview with Entertainment Weekly last month as "so crazy handsome and devious."
