Harry Potter’s main star is about to embrace his weirdness! Danielle Radcliffe will play the lead role in an upcoming Weird Al Yankovic biopic, looking at the famous parody singer’s life journey.
Weird Al, 62, is known for poking fun at various popular songs and musicians over the years, including Michael Jackson, Nirvana, Madonna, and Eminem.
The announcement of Radcliffe’s casting as Weird Al brought a response from the singer about the upcoming biopic and his thoughts on the Harry Potter star taking on the role.
Daniel Radcliffe to star in Weird Al Yankovic biopic
Actor Daniel Radcliffe is officially taking on the role of iconic Grammy-winning singer Weird Al Yankovic in a movie focusing on his career, EW reported on Tuesday. Yankovic has been active in the entertainment industry since the mid-70s.
However, some of Weird Al’s most memorable hits arrived in the days when MTV still played music videos for viewers. His famous parodies of Michael Jackson’s Beat It and Madonna’s Like a Virgin were among them. He had his biggest song on the charts with 2006’s White and Nerdy, a top ten hit that parodied the hip-hop song Ridin’ by Chamillionaire and Krayzie Bone.
Based on the film’s official release statement, this biopic will give Radcliffe plenty to explore with the role.
“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,” an official release for the movie reads.
Yankovic will write the film with Eric Appel, who will direct. Funny or Die and Tango will produce the movie, with filming expected to begin in February in Los Angeles. It’ll also be released for free for viewers to stream on the Roku Channel.
Radcliffe’s casting for the film gives him another role that is a clear departure from his days as Harry Potter. Radcliffe famously played the part of the young wizard in eight films from 2001 through 2011.
However, he has popped up in various movies since then, including 2012’s The Woman In Black, 2016’s Imperium, and 2020’s Escape from Pretoria. He’ll appear in a supporting role in the upcoming romantic comedy adventure, The Lost City, starring Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum.
Weird Al Yankovic responds to biopic casting
Per Deadline’s report, Weird Al Yankovic has earned at least 200 screen credits during his career and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2018. Upon the news of Daniel Radcliffe’s casting in the biopic, he didn’t hesitate to mention his own movie, which arrived years ago and featured him in the lead role.
“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,” Weird Al joked in a statement.
Weird Al’s UHF is a PG-13 comedy that has held up with fans over the years. While it didn’t pull in any major awards, it currently rates as “Certified Fresh” by Rotten Tomatoes standards. That gives Radcliffe and the others associated with WEIRD: The Al Yankovic Story something to aim for.
Weird Al commented on the lead actor and seemed quite happy with the choice made, even sharing thoughts that seem to indicate this could be Radcliffe’s best performance ever.
“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’s statement said.
One has to think it’ll take a lot of movie magic to dethrone the mighty pop culture phenomenon of Harry Potter!
Weird: The Al Yankovic Story’s release date is TBA for Roku Channel.