Daniel Radcliffe is starring in the upcoming “Weird Al” Yankovic biopic, Weird: The Al Yankovic Story.
The Funny or Die film is coming out via the Roku Channel (not currently available in Australia). The first photo of Radcliffe in the role – rocking Hawaiian shirt, wig, glasses and accordion – has emerged (via Deadline).
“Wearing the Hawaiian shirt is a huge responsibility that I don’t take lightly,” Radcliffe said. “I’m honoured to finally share with the world the absolutely 100% unassailably true story of Weird Al’s depraved and scandalous life.”
Yankovic co-wrote the film with director and executive producer, Eric Appel. “When Weird Al first sat me down against my will and told me his life story, I didn’t believe any of it,” said Appel, “but I knew that we had to make a movie about it.”
Appel released a short film, also titled Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, in 2010. Appel’s other directing credits include Brooklyn Nine-Nine, New Girl and The Office.
Yankovic began his recording career in the early 1980s. He’s known for his parodies of popular songs such as Michael Jackson’s ‘Beat Eat’ (‘Eat It’), Madonna’s ‘Like a Virgin’ (‘Like a Surgeon’), Coolio’s ‘Gangsta’s Paradise’ (‘Amish Paradise’) and Don McLean’s ‘American Pie’ (the Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace recap, ‘The Saga Begins’).
Given his propensity for parody, you’d expect the line between fact and faction to blur in Weird: The Al Yankovic Story.
