Daniel Radcliffe has been tapped to portray “Weird Al” Yankovic in the upcoming biopic WEIRD: The Weird Al Yankovic Story that will be exclusive to The Roku Channel.
In a very wry press release 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.”
In a statement Yankovic said of the film, “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. 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 co-wrote the film with Eric Appel, who will also direct the film. Appel said in his own statement, “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.”
Production on WEIRD: The Weird Al Yankovic Story will begin in February. An estimated release date is not yet known.