Harry Potter alum Daniel Radcliffe will portray Grammy-winning song parody master “Weird” Al Yankovic in an upcoming biopic for streamer Roku.
“The biopic holds nothing back,” a release notes, “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.”
Equally as sarcastic as the project’s description are the comments from Yankovic himself. “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.”
He adds, “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.”
Produced by Funny Or Die and Tango, the project is being directed by Eric Appel, who commented, “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.”
A five-time Grammy winner, Yankovic joins Michael Jackson and Madonna as the only three recording artists to have their own top 40 hits in each of the last four decades.
Additionally, Al’s 2014 release Mandatory Fun became the first comedy album in history to debut at #1 on Billboard’s Top 200.
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