Evan Rachel Wood Set to Play Madonna in ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic Biopic
Evan Rachel Wood has joined the cast of the upcoming ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic biopic as one of the latest big names to join. The starring role of Daniel Radcliffe as the titular singer and actor in WEIRD: The Al Yankovic Story was announced last month (January 14), and production has already begun. Wood will now play Madonna, whose 1984 classic ‘Like A Virgin’ became a popular spoof for Yankovic in the form of ‘Like A Surgeon,’ which the pop singer herself complimented upon its release.
According to Rolling Stone, Rainn Wilson (The Office) has been cast as Dr. Demento in the Roku production, alongside Julianne Nicholson (Mare of Easttown) and Toby Huss (Dickinson) as Yankovic’s parents, Mary and Nick.
Below is a first look at Wood and Radcliffe in their forthcoming roles.
According to a press release, WEIRD: The Al Yankovic Story is written by Yankovic and Eric Appel of Funny or Die and will trace Yankovic’s life “from his meteoric rise to fame to his torrid celebrity love affairs and famously depraved lifestyle.”
Colin Davis, Roku’s Head of Original Scripted Programming, added: “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.”
Meanwhile, HBO revealed the premiere dates for Evan Rachel Wood’s documentary Phoenix Rising on 22nd February. The documentary, titled Don’t Fall and Stand Up, follows Wood’s decision to name Marilyn Manson as her alleged abuser. Don’t Fall premieres on Tuesday, March 15, followed by Stand Up the following day.
—Silviya.Y
