A new trailer for Weird: The Al Yankovic Story showcases the first clips of Daniel Radcliffe's take on the iconic musician.
The new trailer was released directly through Weird Al's official YouTube channel and shows off the first footage from the upcoming parody biopic, which documents the polka musician's unlikely rise to pop stardom. The trailer is set to Yankovic's 1985 hit "Like a Surgeon," a parody of "Like a Virgin," a song that was originally performed by Madonna, who will be portrayed by Westworld's Evan Rachel Wood in the new movie. The film will be released this fall as a Roku Channel exclusive.
In addition to Radcliffe and Wood, the movie will also star The Office's Rainn Wilson as Dr. Demento, the beloved radio DJ who introduced Yankovic to a wider audience. The movie will also feature appearances from Pete and Pete and Halt and Catch Fire's Toby Huss, as well as Mare of Easttown's Julianne Nicholson.
The new movie will be directed by New Girl and Brooklyn Nine-Nine's Eric Appel, and features a script that was written by Appel and Yankovic. The film is being produced by Tango and comedy website Funny or Die. Yankovic, Appel and Funny or Die previously collaborated in 2010 to create a short parody trailer, entitled "Weird: The Al Yankovic Story," that lampooned the overly dramatized and self-important nature of many other Hollywood biopics. That short starred Breaking Bad's Aaron Paul as the "Amish Paradise" musician and Tron: Legacy's Olivia Wilde as Madonna.
"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 said when the biopic was originally announced in January. "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 explained.
Weird Al achieved nationwide fame with his 1979 song "My Bologna," a parody of The Knack's "My Sharona." He has since gone on to sell over 12 million albums across his career, and has 6 records that have been certified platinum by the RIAA. Yankovic has also dabbled in acting; in 1989 he starred and co-wrote UHF. The musician also had his own TV show in 1997, entitled The Weird Al Show, and has since acted in episodes of The Simpsons, Robot Chicken, and Batman: The Brave and the Bold.