The trailer for “Weird: The Al Yankovic Story” dropped in May. The trailer features Daniel Radcliffe as the master of parodies and accordion playing master. It is not uncommon for a musical biopic to be released every year. After the success of Oscar-winners “Rocketman”, “Bohemian Rhapsody” (which was released this June) and films centered on Whitney Houston and Bob Dylan, no one expected Alfred “Weird Al,” Yankovic, to get one.
Eric Appel, Weird Al Yankovic himself and Weird Al released the first Weird Al Yankovic biopic. Aaron Paul portrayed the 5-time Grammy nominee in a Funny or Die video. It featured Gary Cole, Olivia Wilde, and Patton Oswalt. It was a comedy short that was never intended to be anything other than that. Twelve years later, Appel & Yankovic are back with a full-fleshed movie with a brand new lead.
Yankovic said that Radcliffe appeared on The Graham Norton Show, in 2010. Yankovic stated that Radcliffe was the one he chose to perform Tom Lehrer’s song “The Elements,” in which he lists every element on the periodic table. There are many reasons why the movie was delayed, including the fact that it wasn’t made until later this year.
The length of the shoot is another intriguing aspect. Yankovic posted on Instagram that the shooting took 16 days. Most films take several months to film. It is a Roku Original Film, which was something that we didn’t even know existed. All indications point to a lower budget film and a shorter length.
You should also pay attention to the film’s casting. Radcliffe replaces Paul Yankovic (Paul was originally supposed to be a cameo, but contracted COVID-19 during filming). Evan Rachel Wood replaces Olivia Wilde’s Madonna. Rainn Wilson replaces Oswalt.
It is easy to understand that Madonna has a significant role in this film due to Wilde’s portrayal of Madonna as the love interest, and Yankovic’s popular cover of “Like A Surgeon.” But does their relationship go much deeper than that? Hulk Hogan has a part in the movie, as well as a cast member. What is the difference between a Hulk Hogan appearance as well as a role for Michael Jackson? Michael Jackson was Yankovic’s most famous parody “victim”.
Perhaps we’re expecting too much from this movie, but there are still many questions about the supposed feature-length film. Vibration, and all of our readers, will have to wait for the movie’s release on Roku this fall.
