Daniel Radcliffe is set to play “Weird Al” Yankovic in an upcoming Roku feature film about the Grammy-winning musician’s life.
WEIRD: The Al Yankovic Story is produced by Funny Or Die and Tango and will be available exclusively on The Roku Channel. The movie is written by Yankovic and Eric Appel (Die Hart), with the latter also on board as director. Production is scheduled to begin in Los Angeles in early February.
The biopic will explore 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,” reads the tongue-in-cheek plot description. It will take viewers on a wild 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 Yankovic. “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.”
Radcliffe is best known for his titular role in the Harry Potter franchise, but he has made a niche for himself in recent years playing a range of “weird” characters.
“I’ve actually found it’s an incredibly liberating thing, to do the biggest thing you’re ever gonna do really f***ing early,” he said in an interview with Empire last year. “The financial success thing, that’s done. So just do things that make you happy. Like, for every director out there that was like, ‘I can only see him as Harry Potter,’ there was at least one that said, ‘I wonder if he’ll do this really f***ing weird thing?’ And I did!”
Speaking about the upcoming film, Appel stated, “When Weird Al first sat me down against my will and told me his life story, I didn’t believe any of it, but I knew that we had to make a movie about it.”
Yankovic is a five-time Grammy winner and the biggest-selling comedy recording artist of all time. His 2014 album Mandatory Fun was the first comedy record to land at #1 on the Billboard Top 200.
WEIRD: The Al Yankovic Story, TBA, The Roku Channel
