Weird Al Yankovic Biopic in the Works Starring Daniel Radcliffe

Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe is set to play Weird Al Yankovic in a biopic about his life for Roku.

The film will chronicle the life and career of the five-time Grammy award-winning performer, whose early singles included Eat It (a parody of Michael Jackson's Beat It), Amish Paradise (Coolio's Gangsta's Paradise), and Like a Surgeon (Madonna's Like a Virgin).

WEIRD: The Al Yankovic Story

Roku revealed Radcliffe will play Yankovic in a new original film titled WEIRD: The Al Yankovic Story on Tuesday. According to reports, this movie will cover every aspect of Yankovic's life.

The film, directed by Eric Appel and produced by Funny or Die and Tango, will be exclusively available on The Roku Channel. Filming is set to begin in early February in Los Angeles. In a statement, Yankovic, who also works as a producer and co-wrote the script with Appel, said:

“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. 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.”

Daniel Radcliffe Updates

Beyond Harry Potter, Radcliffe has a full plate. He will return for the fourth season of TBS' anthology comedy series Miracle Workers, having appeared in all previous seasons; last year saw the introduction of Oregon Trail, in which he played Reverend Ezekiel Brown.

Radcliffe will return to the big screen in March with The Lost City, a new romantic comedy from Paramount starring Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum. Radcliffe plays Fairfax, a billionaire who kidnaps Bullock's romance writer and demands she take him to the mythical Lost City.

WEIRD is a new endeavor for Radcliffe, who has previously played real-life figures, most famously in the Allen Ginsberg film Kill Your Darlings. Despite the fact that this is his first traditional biopic, one can bet that the story of Yankovic's life will be anything but. How Radcliffe handles this job and how it ties in with his other unique efforts will be fascinating to see.