Now the pastiche pop song might seem a bit passe these days but the person who took it to a new level was Weird Al Yankovic. His covers of Beat it (eat it), Smells like teen spirit (smells like nirvana), Gangsters Paradise (Amish Paradise) are all the stuff of legend and his decades long career has won him five Grammy awards. Well now there’s to be a film with some unexpected casting in the title role with the announcement that Daniel Radcliffe IS Weird Al Yankovic in ‘Weird: The Al Yankovic Story’.
The film is described as “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.” ….typically this should be taken with a pinch of salt with Yankovic going on to say, ‘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,” said Yankovic. “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.’
Yankovic and Eric Appel penned the screenplay, with Appel directing the film having helmed a load of series as well as a 2010 short film also called, ‘Weird: The Al Yankovic Story’
