Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe is set to step into the shoes of popular Grammy-winning comedian Weird Al Yankovic in an upcoming biopic about the funnyman’s life.
According to the official synopsis, Weird: The Al Yankovic Story “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.”
“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,” Yankovic, who wrote the screenplay with Eric Appel, said in a statement. “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 is just the latest performer to have their life and career explored through a biopic.
It was recently announced that Rooney Mara will step into the shoes and little black dress, of Audrey Hepburn in a new biopic from Call Me By Your Name director Luca Guadagnino, for Apple, while Cyrano star Kelvin Harrison Jr will be playing the part of the late artist Jean-Michel Basquiat in a biopic from director Julius Onah.
Elsewhere, a Bob Marley biopic is in the works from King Richard director Reinaldo Marcus Green, while Pete Davidson will appear as Joey Ramone in a film about the iconic singer’s life.
For his part, Radcliffe was recently seen in the Harry Potter Reunion special Return to Hogwarts, which looked back on the 20th anniversary of the release of the first film in the Harry Potter franchise.
During the reunion, which saw the majority of the cast return along with various crew members who brought the films to life, Radcliffe admitted to having a crush on co-star Helena Bonham Carter.
Bonham Carter is 32 years older than Radcliffe and the age gap had him wishing he was 10 years older so he could have “had a chance” with her.
He can next be seen in the Paramount comedy The Lost City, starring opposite Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum.
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