Daniel Radcliffe will play 'Weird Al' Yankovic in a biopic


Daniel Radcliffe is ready to get weird.
The Harry Potter star will portray "Weird Al" Yankovic in a biopic about the famed parody musician, Roku announced Tuesday.
The film, WEIRD: The Al Yankovic Story, will be an exclusive to The Roku Channel produced by Funny or Die. A cheeky press release declared it will tell the story of Yankovic's career from his rise to fame to "his torrid celebrity love affairs and famously depraved lifestyle." Yankovic, who previously wrote and starred in the 1989 comedy UHF, will write the film, while Eric Appel will direct.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"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," Yankovic joked. "I'm very happy to say we're on schedule. 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 has won five Grammy Awards for his song parodies like "Eat It" and "Fat," also earning acclaim for his original comedy songs. Tuesday's announcement noted he's "one of only three artists to have had their own top 40 hits in each of the last four decades," along with Michael Jackson and Madonna. The film is the latest major project from Roku, which previously picked up original content from the defunct streamer Quibi and has created its own originals like a recent Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist Christmas special.
Radcliffe, meanwhile, has starred in a number of more offbeat projects since his lead role in Harry Potter, including Swiss Army Man, the 2016 film about a farting corpse — and now, his love of all things weird is being taken to its natural conclusion. Time to brush up on the accordion!
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
-
What to know before turning to AI for financial advice
the explainer It can help you crunch the numbers — but it might also pocket your data
-
Book reviews: 'The Headache: The Science of a Most Confounding Affliction—and a Search for Relief' and 'Tonight in Jungleland: The Making of Born to Run'
Feature The search for a headache cure and revisiting Springsteen's 'Born to Run' album on its 50th anniversary
-
Keith McNally' 6 favorite books that have ambitious characters
Feature The London-born restaurateur recommends works by Leo Tolstoy, John le Carré, and more
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclub
Speed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's ills
Speed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, Stallone
Speed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's view
Speed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talk
Speed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'
Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposes
speed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wife
speed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play