Daniel Radcliffe Transforms Into Weird Al in WEIRD, a Movie About the Musician's 'Scandalous' Life (original) (raw)

Daniel Radcliffe is currently filming The Roku Channel's upcoming movie WEIRD: The 'Weird Al' Yankovic Story

Published on February 22, 2022 12:00PM EST

Photo: getty (2)

The Harry Potter actor transforms into "Weird Al" Yankovic for The Roku Channel's upcoming biopic about the musician, titled WEIRD: The 'Weird Al' Yankovic Story. In the first official photo of him in character, shared exclusively with PEOPLE, Radcliffe intently plays a piano accordion while in full costume.

"Wearing the Hawaiian shirt is a huge responsibility that I don't take lightly," Radcliffe, 32, tells PEOPLE, "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."

Last month, The Roku Channel announced Radcliffe was cast to play the popular parody musician, known for laugh-out-loud songs like "White & Nerdy." According to a press release, "The biopic holds nothing back, 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."

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Daniel Radcliffe as "Weird Al" Yankovic. Aaron Epstein/The Roku Channel

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The Roku Original promises to take "audiences on a truly unbelievable journey through Yankovic's life and career, from gifted child prodigy to the greatest musical legend of all time."

Yankovic, 62, said last month that he is "absolutely thrilled that Daniel Radcliffe will be portraying" him in the film, joking of the British actor, "I have no doubt whatsoever that this is the role future generations will remember him for." He co-wrote the movie with director Eric Appel.

"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," Yankovic joked.

UHF starred Yankovic as an unemployed visionary who becomes the manager of a local television station. The Nanny's Fran Dresher co-starred in the film.

Roku Head of Original Scripted Programming Colin Davis said in the press release, "There clearly aren't enough biopic movies about famous musicians and we were excited to shine a light on the incredibly true, unexaggerated story of Weird Al."

"This is sincerely the ultimate combination of talent, creativity and friends, coming together to make something genuinely funny and we could not be prouder to call this film a Roku Original," Davis added of the film, which is currently filming in Los Angeles.