Daniel Radcliffe Will Play Weird Al Yankovic in Upcoming Biopic

Daniel Radcliffe will be taking on a fascinating new role, that of the Grammy-winning parody musician “Weird Al” Yankovic, in his upcoming biopic WEIRD: The Al Yankovic Story. Yankovic co-wrote the film with Eric Appel, who will direct the film. The film will begin shooting next month.

The film is a co-production between companies Funny or Die and Tango, and will premiere as a free Roku Original on the company’s Roku Channel.

According to their statement shared by Roku, “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.”

Yankovic also made a statement about the film’s announcement and casting. “I am absolutely thrilled that Daniel Radcliffe will be portraying me in the film. I have no doubt whatsoever that this is the rule future generations will remember him for.”

Since his breakout in 1976, Weird Al’s quirky parodies of hit songs have delighted audiences with clever wordplay, an unusual primary instrument in the accordion, and some very well-made music videos.

While this casting may have been thought of as unbelievable when Radcliffe first wrapped his titular role in the Harry Potter franchise, he has since honed his comedy chops in several projects, including the TBS series Miracle Workers, and his odd and amazing role as a farting corpse named Manny in the 2016 surreal comedy-drama Swiss Army Man.