Los Angeles : In the upcoming biopic of the prolific parody musician ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic, Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe is set to star as the king of parody music. In the first set of released pictures it seems the English actor is going to nail the role in what can only be called an undeniably impressive transformation as he now looks almost entirely unrecognizable.
Radcliffe was spotted dressed as ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic — complete with long curly wig and mustache— on the set of the parody song master and pop culture icon’s biopic in Los Angeles Thursday, February 17. It marked the first time Radcliffe, 32, has been photographed in character since it was announced in January that he would be playing the music star. Roku announced in January that the actor had been cast as the now-62-year-old Yankovic in ‘Weird: The Al Yankovic Story’, a Roku Original biopic written by Yankovic and Eric Appel, who will direct the feature.
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, the musician shared his excitement to have Daniel Radcliffe on board. Yankovic said, “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 added, “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.”
The official description for the film says it “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.” ‘Weird: The Al Yankovic Story’ hasn’t given any indication that it’s going to be a straight faced and serious approach to the parody musician’s life and career. Rather it feels like the film is aiming to crack audiences up, and Daniel Radcliffe looks like he may certainly be up to the job.
‘Weird: The Al Yankovic Story’ is co-written by Yankovic himself, telling the story of his life from his early days and through his rise to fame from the late 1970s. Yankovic is most known for his comedic songs, which have for the most part seen his actual musical talents completely overlooked due to his indulgence in a variety of parody songs and his use of music videos to enhance the ridiculousness of some of the songs he sings and pop culture to boot. The singer is known for parody of various songs such as “Eat it” for Michael Jackson’s ‘Beat it’, “Smells like Nirvana” for Nirvana’s iconic “Smells Like Teen Spirit”, “Amish Paradise” for Coolio’s “Gangsta’s Paradise”, “Bedrock Anthem” for Red Hot Chilli Pepper’s “Under The Bridge” and “Give it Away” etc.
A winner of five Grammy Awards and six platinum records, although he would not score a Top 40 Billboard album until 2006 with ‘Straight Outta Lynwood’, and his most recent album, ‘Mandatory Fun’, was released in 2014 and became his first-ever number-one. With his audiences still clearly growing, it is no wonder that now seems the right time to put his story on screen. The film is a Roku production and recently began shooting, leading to the first images of Daniel Radcliffe landing online.
Few details have been given about the film, but it will be heading straight to streaming. With shooting underway and the fact that it is not some superhero sci fi ultra modern vfx driven spectacle it is possible that we could even see the final product rolling out by the end of the year, but if not, we can certainly expect it early in 2023.
Bhupendra Singh Chundawat is a seasoned technology journalist with over 22 years of experience in the media industry. He specializes in covering the global technology landscape, with a deep focus on manufacturing trends and the geopolitical impact on tech companies. Currently serving as the Editor at Udaipur Kiran, his insights are shaped by decades of hands-on reporting and editorial leadership in the fast-evolving world of technology.