Daniel Radcliffe has been tapped to play "Weird Al" Yankovic in Funny or Die’s Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, set to stream exclusively on Roku. The announcement comes nine years after comedy website Funny or Die released the original fake trailer, which starred Breaking Bad’s Aaron Paul as the Grammy-winning parody artist. The movie comes as part of the Roku Channel’s push to create more original content. Yankovic, along with writer/director Eric Appel wrote the script, which will detail the "incredibly true" events of Yankovic's life as he rose to fame in the 1980s with his parodies of popular music.
The news about Weird’s production comes after Yankovic tweeted that he’s making a movie for the first time in 33 years. Tapping Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe, Roku is leaning heavily into the nostalgic aspects of this film. Though Radcliffe is most known for his years of playing "the boy who lived", he is no stranger to comedic roles. From 2019 to 2021, Radcliffe starred in the TBS comedy anthology series Miracle Workers, with each season focused on a different theme, assigning Radcliffe a new character and comedic challenge. With Funny or Die helming the film, it is likely to lean more into comedic territory, especially if their original Weird: The Al Yankovic Story spoof is any evidence.
Fans of Funny or Die will remember their parody film trailer of a fake "Weird Al" biopic, which starred Aaron Paul in the titular role. The fake trailer parodied the melodramatic, gritty style of music biopics that purport to tell the true story of beloved music icons while simultaneously courting Oscar gold. It riffed on movies like Walk The Line and Ray, which chronicled the lives of Johnny Cash and Ray Charles, respectively. The trailer presents "Weird Al" as a troubled drunk and imagines an illicit love affair between the parody artist and pop icon Madonna. Now, after nearly a decade, the fake trailer has manifested as a real biopic, swapping out Aaron Paul for Daniel Radcliffe.
While Yankovic and the team behind the movie are presenting it as a true depiction of the singer's life and history, that should be taken with a grain of salt. Weird seems set to follow a similar story to the one from the Aaron Paul trailer. Roku describes the movie as a story that chronicles Yankovic's "meteoric rise to fame" and his "torrid affairs and famously depraved behaviors," which mirrors the events of the fake trailer, but doesn't really mirror what is known about Yankovic's actual life. In reality, Yankovic is a vegetarian who has lived a very quiet private life over his forty years in the industry. However, it isn't surprising that the King of Parodies himself would use his own biopic as a parody, as well.
The film is likely to be a mix between the truth and exaggeration. There is no word on why Paul was not cast to reprise the role, despite his performance in the original parody. It could be due to scheduling conflicts, as Aaron Paul's Westworld character Caleb is taking on a bigger role in the show's upcoming season. Still, Yankovic is "absolutely thrilled" to have Radcliffe play him in the biopic, which begins shooting in February of 2022.
Funny or Die is known for committing to a bit, but Weird: The Al Yankovic Story is a real movie that will, in fact, be starring Daniel Radcliffe. The original fake trailer starring Aaron Paul was just one of Funny or Die's many popular parody trailers, which the website is well known for. It will be interesting to see how much of Yankovic's real history makes it into the film.