The highly-anticipated trailer for the Roku Channel’s upcoming WEIRD: The Al Yankovic Story dropped on Monday. But if anyone was actually expecting a straightforward biopic about the life and times of the recording artist known as “Weird Al” Yankovic, the trailer sets the tone pretty quickly. And in doing so, has fans drawing comparisons to another cult beloved musical biopic parody.
WEIRD: The Al Yankovic Story stars Daniel Radcliffe as the infamous musical parodist, detailing the now 62-year-old’s wholly fabricated troubled early life and auspicious rise to fame — including a torrid affair with Madonna (played by Evan Rachel Wood), naturally. Rainn Wilson likewise stars as Dr. Demento, the comedy radio personality who gave Yankovic his first break. Only here, Dr. Demento is portrayed as the sadistic ringleader who would go on to oversee Yankovic’s career, even as he begins to spiral into drug and alcohol use.
It’s not exactly shocking that the film would go the parody route, as the whole thing is based on a 2013 Funny or Die fake trailer starring Aaron Paul as Yankovic, with Olivia Wilde as Madonna, Gary Cole and Mary Steenburgen as the singer’s parents, and Patton Oswalt as Dr. Demento.
Shortly after the trailer hit the internet, fans began expressing their excitement on Twitter, where more than a few evoked Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story. The 2007 comedy was a parody of musical biopics such as Ray (2004) and Walk the Line (2005), starring John C. Reilly as the titular Dewey Cox, a blues musician whose career eventually becomes overshadowed by his tumultuous personal life.
In addition to Reilly, the film features a murderer’s row of comedic talent including Kristen Wiig, Margo Martindale, and Jenna Fischer — with cameos from Paul Rudd, Jack Black, Justin Long, and Jason Schwartzman as the Beatles themselves.
“Weird Al Yankovic biopic is going to be this generation’s Walk Hard,” tweeted film critic Robert Daniels. “No prestige biopic will survive its wake.”
Others expressed similar thoughts:
There were also a few variations on the same joke:
Though Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox story went onto become a cult hit, the box office was initially not so kind — as the film earned just $18 million at the domestic box office of its $35 million budget. WEIRD: The Al Yankovic Story, on the other hand, is poised to become a bona fide hit for the fledgling Roku Channel when the film is released on Nov. 4, after premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival on Sept. 8.