The man who brought “The Boy Who Lived” to life is taking on another legendary figure from pop culture.
Daniel Radcliffe, the actor known to a generation of fans as Harry Potter in the flesh, will play Weird Al Yankovic, the award-winning musician known for his clever musical parodies of chart-topping hits. Yankovic, who has written and performed funny hits like “Eat It,” “Amish Paradise” and “Word Crimes,” announced the upcoming movie in a tweet on Jan. 18.
“So … I’m making a movie,” the 62-year-old performer casually began his Twitter thread. And, in case people thought the musical comic was joking, he offered published proof of his seriousness in his next tweet, linking to a Deadline story about the project.
See?? I’m not kidding about this! https://t.co/p1qww3R20v
— Al Yankovic (@alyankovic) January 18, 2022
The movie, which is being produced by Funny or Die for The Roku Channel, is called “Weird: The Al Yankovic Story” and will tell the story of the man who translated his gift for parody into multiple Grammy wins and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
“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,” according to the tongue-in-cheek movie synopsis, posted by Variety. “‘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 co-wrote the script with Eric Appel, who wrote a comedic short film based on Yankovic’s life back in 2010 for Funny or Die. This time, Appel will also direct the full-length version, which is scheduled to start filming in Los Angeles next month, according to Deadline.
This won’t be the singer’s first foray into filmmaking. In 1989, Yankovic released his first movie, “UHF,” which tanked at the box office but eventually became a cult classic as the singer’s popularity grew. In a statement to the press, Yankovic joked he knew his fans have been eagerly awaiting his next 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,” said Yankovic in a statement shared by Entertainment Weekly. “I’m very happy to say we’re on schedule.”
Yankovic joked that the role will be a career-defining role for the English actor.
“And I am absolutely thrilled that Daniel Radcliffe will be portraying me in the film,” Yankovic said, according to Entertainment Weekly. “I have no doubt whatsoever that this is the role future generations will remember him for.”
Radcliffe, 32, has kept busy with roles vastly different from Harry Potter since ending his run as the famous wizard in 2011. He’s stepped onto the Broadway stage and accepted offbeat roles in smaller-budget films, as well as a starring role in TBS’s “Miracle Workers.”
“I’ve actually found it’s an incredibly liberating thing, to do the biggest thing you’re ever gonna do really f—ing early,” Radcliffe said in an interview with Empire Magazine, referring to his work in the Wizarding World. “The financial success thing, that’s done. So just do things that make you happy.”
This story originally appeared on Simplemost. Checkout Simplemost for additional stories.
