Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Entertainment

Daniel Radcliffe to play Weird Al Yankovic in new biopic

By

As a young actor, Daniel Radcliffe made his name in the Harry Potter film series, but he’ll be portraying a real music hero in his next role. Deadline is reporting that Radcliffe has signed on to play musician “Weird Al” Yankovic in a new biopic for The Roku Channel. Appropriately, it will be called Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, with a screenplay by Yankovic and Eric Appel, the latter of whom is also slated to direct the film. Appel previously directed a short version of Weird: The Al Yankovic Story in 2010 for Funny or Die, which is set to produce the film with Roku.

For the last four decades, Yankovic has stood out from the pack by parodying his fellow musicians with infectiously catchy comedic songs performed in different styles. According to Roku, Yankovic’s biopic will “hold nothing back and explore every facet of his life, from his childhood through his meteoric rise to fame with early hits like ‘Eat It’ and ‘Like a Surgeon,’ while touching on his torrid celebrity love affairs and famously depraved lifestyle.” Obviously they’re kidding about the love affairs and the “famously depraved lifestyle.”

Daniel Radcliffe will play Weird Al Yankovic.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

“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. “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.”

Recommended Videos

“There clearly aren’t enough biopic movies about famous musicians and we were excited to shine a light on the incredibly true, unexaggerated story of Weird Al,” added Colin Davis, Roku’s Head of Original Scripted Programming. “This is sincerely the ultimate combination of talent, creativity, and friends, coming together to make something genuinely funny and we could not be prouder to call this film a Roku Original.”

UHF Official Trailer #1 - Kevin McCarthy Movie (1989) HD

Radcliffe recently appeared in Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts alongside many of his former castmates. But the former child actor has remained busy since he left the franchise over a decade ago. He currently stars in the TBS comedy series, Miracle Workers, and he has a supporting role in the upcoming film, The Lost City.

Weird: The Al Yankovic Story will begin filming in Los Angeles next month. A release date hasn’t been set yet.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Blair Marnell
Blair Marnell
Blair Marnell has been an entertainment journalist for over 15 years. His bylines have appeared in Wizard Magazine, Geek…
3 underrated (HBO) Max movies you should watch this weekend (June 28-30)
A girl looks at a boy in House at the End of the Street.

June is surprisingly over, and with it, a great month for movies comes to a satisfactory close. You've probably watched Inside Out 2 or Bad Boys: Ride or Die or maybe even The Bikeriders. From blockbusters to indie fare, the theatrical movie business has been robust and healthy.

The same goes for streaming. Netflix had a big hit with Richard Linklater's Hit Man, while Amazon Prime Video recently premiered the latest bonkers season of The Boys. HBO and Max have been quieter, but their robust library speaks volumes to the streamer's high quality. The following three films are older, but are just as worth your time as new hits like House of the Dragon season 2.
The Skin I Live In (2011)

Read more
3 underrated Amazon Prime Video movies you should watch this weekend (June 28-30)
Two men spy from a car in The Limey.

As we head toward the end of June, it's worth reflecting on how we want to spend the rest of summer. For some, that's going to mean enjoying nice weather or getting some time in at the beach. For others, it might mean escaping from the heat, at least for a while, to check out a great movie.

If you fall into that second category, then we've pulled together a list of three great, underrated, titles available on Amazon Prime Video that are all worth checking out. Prime Video is home to some of the best movies available online, but it can be hard to find the ones you want. These three will at least give you a great place to start.
The Limey (1999)
The Limey | 4K Restoration Trailer | Plays Dec. 19

Read more
The best Netflix original series right now
Eric and Benedict Cumberbatch in Eric.

The era of Peak TV was also Peak Netflix, because the streamer seemingly had an endless supply of new original series. So far in 2024, that hasn't been the case. Whether we'll ever get the same level of content again seems unlikely for now. But even in a reduced capacity, Netflix still has a few new additions to its lineup of originals.

For the month of June, we're adding the '80s-set thriller, Eric, which stars Benedict Cumbebatch. Our other pick for the month is Supacell, which is Netflix's new British series that remixes some old superhero archetypes. That's not a very big selection for fans who always want something new, but this roundup of the best Netflix original series really does have all of the top options in one place for you. All you have to do is scroll down and make time to binge watch some shows.

Read more