Daniel Radcliffe Cast as “Weird Al” Yankovic in First Roku Original Biopic
Daniel Radcliffe continues to build his career post-Harry Potter by taking on a role we never thought he’d play.
Variety is reporting that he will star in Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, which will also be Roku’s first original biopic. Eric Appel co-wrote the script with Yankovic himself and will direct the project. The official Roku synopsis reads as follows:
“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.”
Yankovic said in a statement:
“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.”
Appel already directed a short film in 2010 of the same name, and besides that, he’s spent the last decade directing for TV, in shows like The Office, New Girl, Silicon Valley, and Brooklyn Nine-Nine. Radcliffe has been trying to set a course for his career ever since the Harry Potter franchise ended a decade ago. While he’s appeared in low-budget, critically acclaimed films like Swiss Army Man or high-budget, critically panned movies like Now You See Me 2, he hasn’t been able to break the Harry Potter curse yet. He will next be seen in The Lost City of D, opposite Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum. It’s possible this might get him his first Oscar nomination if the movie turns out any good and Roku plays its cards right.
Production will begin in L.A. in early February. No release date has been set, though the movie will stream exclusively on The Roku Channel.
Miguel Fernández is a Spanish student that has movies as his second passion in life. His favorite movie of all time is The Lord of the Rings, but he is also a huge Star Wars fan. However, fantasy movies are not his only cup of tea, as authors like Scorsese, Fincher, Kubrick or Hitchcock have been an obsession for him since he started to understand the language of filmmaking. He is that guy who will watch a black and white movie, just because it is in black and white.
