Daniel Radcliffe to play 'Weird Al' Yankovic in biopic WEIRD: The Al Yankovic Story
Daniel Radcliffe is about to get weird — as in, "Weird Al" Yankovic.
EW has learned that the Harry Potter alum has been cast as the lead in Yankovic's upcoming biopic, WEIRD: The Al Yankovic Story. Radcliffe will star as the Grammy-winning musician and pop parody icon in a film focusing on his prolific career.
"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," reads the film's official release. "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."
Jordin Althaus/E! Entertainment/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images; Jason Merritt/Getty Images
"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," Yankovic said in a statement. "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."
Written by Yankovic and Eric Appel (who will also direct) the film, produced by Funny or Die and Tango, will be available exclusively for free on the Roku Channel. Production begins in Los Angeles in February.
Taking on the life and career of Yankovic is just the latest inspired choice in a long and fascinating list of Radcliffe's post-Harry Potter roles. From playing a (farting) dead body in 2016's Swiss Army Man to the hilarious villain in Now You See Me 2 to all of his scenes in TBS' Miracle Workers (come on, have you seen him vogue in leather chaps and thigh-high boots to a club remix of "She'll Be Coming Round the Mountain"?!), it's clear Radcliffe is dedicated to making major departures from the boy wizard he played for over a decade.
"I've actually found it's an incredibly liberating thing to do the biggest thing you're ever going to do really f—ing early," Radcliffe previously told 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!"
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