Report: Chris Farley movie is in the works, with Paul Walter Hauser playing the Madison native

A movie about Madison native and Marquette University alum Chris Farley could be closer to happening.

Hollywood news site Deadline reported Friday that a script based on "The Chris Farley Show: A Biography in Three Acts" — written by the late "Saturday Night Live" star's brother, Tom Farley Jr., and Tanner Colby — is being shopped around Hollywood. Actor Paul Walter Hauser, who won an Emmy earlier this year for his performance as a serial killer in the Apple TV+ series "Black Bird," is set to play Chris Farley, with actor Josh Gad directing and "Saturday Night Live" godfather Lorne Michaels producing.

According to Deadline, insiders say the project — which is "sure to set the town and market on fire" — has the Farley family's blessing.

Farley, a bigger-than-life performer who became a star as a member of the cast of "Saturday Night Live" from 1990-'95, died of an overdose in 1997 at the age of 33.

Hauser already has some experience in the biopic department. He had a scene-stealing supporting role as Tonya Harding's dimwitted bodyguard in "I, Tonya," and played the man wrongly accused of the 1996 bombing at the Atlanta Olympics in Clint Eastwood's "Richard Jewell."

The movie would be Gad's directorial debut. He's better known as an actor, ranging from drama ("Marshall") to comedy ("The Wedding Ringer"), but probably best known for his voice-over work, especially as the voice of Olaf in Disney's "Frozen" movies.

Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber, whose credits include "The Fault in Our Stars" and "(500) Days of Summer," wrote the script for the Farley project.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Chris Farley movie is in the works, with Paul Walter Hauser starring