What is so weird about Weird Al Yankovic?

The first trailer for Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, the satirical biopic starring Daniel Radcliffe as its titular character, Weird Al Yankovic just dropped and it looks just as absurd as it ought to be.

The film follows the “true” story of the accordion-playing pop culture icon in a pseudo-biopic fashion, intentionally exaggerating and fabricating moments in his life for comedic effect. Here is the trailer for the film:

Originally released as a parody trailer of the same name by Funny or Die, the concept for the film soon took shape after the film was announced in January this year with Radcliffe set to star in the lead role. The film is directed by Eric Appel and co-written by Appel and Yankovic himself. 

Radcliffe told The Hollywood Reporter that his appearance on The Graham Norton Show in 2010 where he sung Tom Lehrer's "The Elements" in front of Colin Farrell and Rihanna, was the reason for his casting. 

But who was this quirky, bizarre personality and how indeed did he spontaneously rise to fame?

Weird: The Al Yankovic Story premieres at the Toronto International Film Festival next week and will be released on The Roku Channel on November 4, 2022.