A new trailer for Daniel Radcliffe's Weird Al biopic, Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, has been unveiled. Starring Radcliffe in the titular role along with Evan Rachel Wood, Rainn Wilson, Quinta Brunson, Toby Huss, and Julianne Nicholson, Weird is an 'absolutely true biographical drama' that plays on the tropes of other musical biopics. Eric Appel of Funny or Die is directing, which is fitting since Appel previously created a spoof biopic of Yankovic's life for Funny or Die starring Aaron Paul as Yankovic.
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A musician and comedian who became famous from parodying other artists' popular songs and music videos, Weird Al is known for his tongue-in-cheek pop culture satire. With Yankovic heavily involved as a producer and co-writer in Weird, it's no surprise that the latest trailer for his satirical biopic practically acts a musical biopic cliché bingo. Offering first looks at Wood as Madonna and Wilson as Dr. Demento, the new trailer offers an impression of the story and tone of the Roku film.
Al Yankovic himself posted the trailer on his YouTube channel. The trailer teases the satirical nature of the biopic and includes scenes in which Radcliffe's Yankovic and Wood's Madonna begin a steamy romance. See the full trailer below:
As seen in the trailer, Weird offers a glimpse of Yankovic's childhood and the formation of his signature sound. The life events are given an amusing twist as they are told in the melodramatic and weighty fashion typical of biopic films. The film appears to chronicle his rise to fame through singing parody songs and a fateful meeting with Madonna, who is presented as a 'bad influence' that contributes to his struggles with alcohol and drugs. This trailer makes it clear that the Radcliffe-led Weird: The Al Yankovic Story will be taking serious creative liberties with biographical events in order to tell a wild, hilarious story that pokes fun at the many biopics audiences have been presented with in recent years (such as Elvis and Bohemian Rhapsody). The trailer also features a blink and you'll miss it cameo from Yankovic himself.
Though the satirical film will lean into absurdity by riffing on the dramatic nature of most musical biopics, the trailer also includes moments of warmth that actually grapple with Yankovic's impact and legacy. Reminding viewers that 'the world belongs to the weird' and featuring a speech from Radcliffe's Yankovic about being oneself, Weird can be expected to strike a balance between satire and tribute, leaning heavily on the former. As expected, Radcliffe shines in his role and will put forth a hilarious and definitely weird portrayal of the iconic musician. Wood and Wilson also put forth humorous and intriguing performances in the new trailer. On November 4, 2022, Weird will go straight to streaming via Roku and audiences will finally be able to enter Al's weird world.