Daniel Radcliffe Will Play Weird Al Yankovic In A New Roku Biopic, Literally The Part He Was Born To Play
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Outstanding casting news out of Hollywood this morning — Daniel Radcliffe — of Harry Potter fame — is going to portray Weird Al Yankovic in a new Roku biopic!
In case you need a refresher on Weird Al, he's a multiple-Grammy-winning singer, actor, producer, and comedian, best known for parodying popular songs and making them his own. He's been doing it for literally decades.
Examples include "Amish Paradise" (sung in the style of Coolio's "Gansta's Paradise"), "White & Nerdy" (sung in the style of "Ridin'" by Chamillionaire and Krayzie Bone), and "Party in the CIA" (after Miley Cyrus's "Party in the USA").
WEIRD: The Weird Al Yankovic Story, which starts production next month, will tell the story of Weird Al's life "from his rise to fame in the music industry to his celebrity love affairs."
Here's the full synopsis from Roku: "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. 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," said Weird Al in a statement.
Weird Al co-wrote the film’s script with the film's director, Eric Appel.
"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."
Funny till the very end, that guy.
For his part, Daniel has been super open in the past about accepting offbeat acting roles post-Harry Potter. Last year, he told Lord of the Rings' Elijah Wood: "I’ve actually found it’s an incredibly liberating thing, to do the biggest thing you're ever gonna do really fucking early."
