the saga begins Jan. 18, 2022

White and Nerdy Daniel Radcliffe Will Play ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic in Biopic

Portrait of Rebecca Alter

By Rebecca Alter, a staff writer who covers comedy and pop culture

Photo-Illustration: Vulture; Photos by Getty Images

Accio accordion! In what will surely be his strangest role since playing a farting motorized corpse, Daniel Radcliffe has signed on to play “Weird Al” Yankovic in the upcoming biopic Weird: The Al Yankovic Story. The feature film will be produced by Funny or Die, meaning it will be as much a parody of music biopics as Yankovic’s most popular songs are parodies of popular music. Roku announced the casting news today in a press release that says 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” (real fans know that in reality, Yankovic is a vegetarian, teetotaling churchgoer).

“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,” Yankovic said in a statement. “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 feature-length film will stream on the Roku Channel and begins filming in L.A. in February.

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White and Nerdy Daniel Radcliffe to Star in Weird Al Biopic

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