The 'Harry Potter' actor is tapped to star as the musician in 'Weird: The Al Yankovic Story', Roku's first original biopic produced by Funny Or Die and Tango.
- Jan 19, 2022
AceShowbiz - Daniel Radcliffe is going to channel his inner comic for his next project. The British actor has been tapped to portray "the king of spoof" parody musician Weird Al Yankovic in an upcoming biopic.
The 32-year-old will star in "Weird: The Al Yankovic Story" that will focus on the prolific career of the Grammy-winning musician and pop cultural icon. The movie, billed as Roku's first original biopic, is produced by Funny Or Die and Tango, and will be available exclusively for free on The Roku Channel.
The film is written by Yankovic and Eric Appel, the latter of whom will also direct the film and serve as an executive producer. Yankovic will produce the movie along with Mike Farah, Joe Farrell and Whitney Hodack for Funny Or Die, and Tim Headington, Lia Buman and Max Silva for Tango. Funny Or Die's Henry Munoz III and Tango's Neil Shah are on board as executive producers.
"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," the press release said. " '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."
Yankovic, meanwhile, said in a statement of the project, "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 then gushed about Radcliffe who will portray him, "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."
Yankovic is a five-time Grammy winner and the biggest-selling comedy recording artist of all time. He is known for humorous songs that make light of pop culture and often parody specific songs by contemporary musical acts. His 2014 release "Mandatory Fun" became the first comedy album in history to debut at No. 1 on Billboard's Top 200.
As for Radcliffe, he is best known for his title role in the "Harry Potter" film series. He has since starred in a number of films such as "Kill Your Darlings", "Now You See Me 2" and acclaimed thriller "Imperium". He will next be seen in "The Lost City", which also stars Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum.
