‘Weird: The Al Yankovic Story’: Release Date Revealed for Daniel Radcliffe Movie, Everything You Need to Know About the Biopic
It’s been years in the making, but Weird: The Al Yankovic Story biopic is finally a reality. Daniel Radcliffe stars as Yankovic, and he claims he won the role because of a 2010 talk show appearance while he still played Harry Potter. Regardless, 2022 brings fans the definitive cinematic version of Yankovic’s career, and the Weird: The Al Yankovic Story release date is right around the corner.
When does ‘Weird: The Al Yankovic Story’ come out?
Fans waited nearly a decade to see Weird come to fruition. Funny or Die produced an Aaron Paul-starring short in 2010 and shared it on its YouTube channel in 2013. No, we finally get to see the finished product in early September.
The absolutely-shredded Radcliffe makes his public debut in the Hawaiian shirt and accordion at the Toronto International Film Festival. Weird: The Al Yankovic Story makes its world premiere during TIFF’s opening night on Sept. 8, 2022, as part of the Midnight Madness portion of the festival, the The Wrap.
The movie’s broad release comes on Nov. 4, 2022, when it starts streaming on the Roku Channel. Neither Roku nor Funny or Die announced a theatrical release as of early August, but that could change the closer we get to November.
Daniel Radcliffe and the rest of the ‘Weird: The Al Yankovic Story’ cast
Radcliffe seemingly locked down the lead role as “Weird” Al Yankovic more than a decade before the movie’s late 2022 release. In addition to the Weird release date, we know a bit about the solid supporting cast joining him.
Evan Rachel Wood plays Madonna, while Rainn Wilson from The Office is Dr. Demento, the radio host who gave Yankovic’s music its first wide exposure. Julianne Nicholson (I, Tanya) and Toby Huss (Halt and Catch Fire) play Yankovic’s parents, Mary and Nick, respectively.
Quinta Brunson (Abbott Elementary) as Oprah Winfrey, James Preston Rogers (Righteous Gemstones), and Lechristopher Williams as Coolio play some of Yankovic’s celebrity acquaintances.
Will ‘Weird’ be true to his real life?
Weird Al fans haven’t had a movie about his life. The Compleat Al, a 1985 mockumentary that blended facts and fiction, was as close as we got. Radcliffe’s turn as Weird Al marks the first time we will see anything resembling a biopic of the legendary performer.
Will Weird: The Al Yankovic Story be true to life? With Yankovic writing the script and Funny or Die helping produce it, there’s sure to be a fair bit of comedy and satire involved.
As one might expect from a parody songwriter, Weird Al didn’t play it straight when Roku announced the movie, writing in a release, “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. And 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.”
‘Weird: The Al Yankovic Story’ runtime
The release date for Weird is locked down, and so is the runtime.
According to the TIFF website, Weird clocks in with a runtime of 1 hour, 48 minutes. That length comes in a bit shorter than other recent music biopics.
The Eminem-starring 8 Mile ran 1 hour, 50 minutes. The Elton John biopic Rocketman clocked in at 2 hours, 1 minute, per IMDb. Selena and Notorious ran just over two hours, while Bohemian Rhapsody and Walk the Line were roughly 2 hours, 15 minutes, per IMDb.
The recently-released Elvis pushed well beyond at 2 hours, 39 minutes,
Die-hard fans can catch Weird: The Al Yankovic Story at TIFF on Sept. 8 before it hits the Roku Channel on Nov. 4.
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