Film

Daniel Radcliffe Is ‘White and Nerdy’ In First Glimpse Of Weird Al Yankovic Biopic

"Daniel Radcliffe as Weird Al might be my new gender."

by Charles Rushforth  23 February 2022

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The first official photos of Daniel Radcliffe as Weird Al Yankovic have dropped today, from the upcoming biopic Weird: The “Weird Al” Yankovic Story. 

It looks like Radcliffe will honour all of the sacred regalia of the comedy icon, appearing in promotional images with Yankovich’s trademarked Hawaiian shirt and signature black curls, while armed with a piano accordion.   

The film — written and produced by Yankovich — promises a stylised vision of the life and career of the musical comedian behind hits like ‘Girls Just Want To Have Lunch’ and ‘Amish Paradise’. Yankovich has stated that he’s “absolutely thrilled” about Radcliffe’s involvement in the project and claims that “this is the role future generations will remember him for.”


With what we know so far, it’s fair to assume that the film won’t be an entirely honest retelling of Yankovich’s past. The streaming service behind the film, The Roku Channel, has already promised that the film will detail Yankovich’s “sordid celebrity love affairs and famously depraved lifestyle.”

The film’s casting is on point, with Radcliffe’s eccentric choice of post-Harry Potter roles — including a farting, undead swiss army knife and accused rapist-turned demon — equipping him to deal with Yankovich’s absurdist production style as seen in comedian’s previous film UHF. 


Yankovic will be teaming up with Funny or Die to produce the film. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Yankovich previously commissioned a fake trailer with the production company back in 2014. We’ll have to wait and see if Radcliffe does a better job than Aaron Paul does in this 2013 short for Weird: The Al Yankovic Story.