From the moment Daniel Radcliffe was announced as the star of the Weird Al Yankovic “biopic," the world was set aflame with the desire to know what he’d look like in the role. It got to the point where paparazzi recently scored some sneaky behind-the-scenes pictures, prompting a snarky response from the project’s director, Eric Appel. There is a bright side to this small conflict, though, as we’ve now gotten our first official look of Radcliffe in WEIRD: The Weird Al Story. I just hope the director approves of this shot being offered to the masses.
It hasn’t been long since The Roku Channel announced that it was collaborating with Funny or Die to turn the 2010 short WEIRD: The Weird Al Story into a full fledged movie. As production is currently underway, it’s led to leaks both real and fake. While Weird Al himself has manufactured the fake leaks on social media, we now have the real deal for you, and you can check out the first official photo below:
Now it could just be the angle and the lighting, but from what’s on display here, Daniel Radcliffe’s Weird Al looks kind of imposing. There’s a suggestion that in this wild telling of the musical artist’s “life story” he look more ripped than he did as a Rambo clone in UHF. If this look approaches anything like that over the top gag, shown below for dramatic effect, then we’re in for quite the ride:
As for the actor himself, Daniel Radcliffe sounds like he’s has the exact right attitude to be starring as the lead of WEIRD: The Weird Al Story. Accompanying the first look photo was a statement from the man who helped bring the Harry Potter franchise to life. Radcliffe said about the role,
Wearing the Hawaiian shirt is a huge responsibility that I don't take lightly, and I'm honored to finally share with the world the absolutely 100 percent unassailably true story of Weird Al's depraved and scandalous life.
In the decades since UHF has gone from undeserved failure at the box office to a cult classic that fans still want to see a sequel to, Weird Al Yankovic’s return to the movies has been an idea toyed around with more than once. Now that the world will finally see WEIRD: The Weird Al Story granting him his first writing credit in 33 years, it’s going to be an event for the ages. Casting Daniel Radcliffe sounded like a good idea at the start, but we're even more excited after this first look.
Now that the hungry public has their peek at the fictitious Weird Al played by Daniel Radcliffe, maybe the paparazzi can take some time off and we can focus on the important questions. Things like, “Will a performance of 'Yoda' with a cameo from Weird Al megafan Mark Hamill be totally out of bounds after the Fox/Disney merger?” or “What makes for a better success montage track: ‘Livin’ with a Hernia’ or ‘Like A Surgeon’?” So long as Radcliffe gets to use those jacked looking arms to get into a fight set to ‘Eat It,’ the rest of the chips can fall where they may.
WEIRD: The Weird Al Story will debut as an exclusive on The Roku Channel, with no release date currently set. That just means you’ll have time to check out the new movie releases for 2022, with hopes that this new streaming original will be unveiled just in time for awards season. Meanwhile, you can see Daniel Radcliffe playing a delightful looking villain opposite Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum in The Lost City, which opens on March 25.
