Evan Rachel Wood to play Madonna in 'Weird Al' Yankovic biopic
Evan Rachel Wood is among the latest big names to be added to the cast of the forthcoming ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic biopic.
Daniel Radcliffe’s lead role as the titular musician and actor in WEIRD: The Al Yankovic Story was confirmed last month (January 14), with production already underway.
- READ MORE: Potter in the CIA: what to expect from Daniel Radcliffe’s ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic biopic
Now Wood is set to join the cast as Madonna, whose 1984 hit ‘Like A Virgin’ became a hit parody for Yankovic in the form of ‘Like A Surgeon’, which the pop star herself praised upon its release.
The Office star Rainn Wilson has also been cast as Dr. Demento in the Roku production, according to Rolling Stone, and will be joined by Julianne Nicholson (Mare Of Easttown) and Toby Huss (Dickinson) as Yankovic’s parents, Mary and Nick.
See Wood and Radcliffe in the first glimpse of their upcoming roles below.
First look ? Evan Rachel Wood is joining Daniel Radcliffe in #WEIRD: The @AlYankovic Story as the one and only Madonna! pic.twitter.com/dq9c1q0cDP
— The Roku Channel (@TheRokuChannel) March 2, 2022
Daniel Radcliffe is @alyankovic. Your first look at #WEIRD is here ? pic.twitter.com/m9BBZndorA
— The Roku Channel (@TheRokuChannel) February 22, 2022
Written by Yankovic and Funny Or Die’s Eric Appel, WEIRD: The Al Yankovic Story promises to follow Yankovic’s life “from his meteoric rise to fame to his torrid celebrity love affairs and famously depraved lifestyle,” according to a press release.
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, the premiere dates for Evan Rachel Wood documentary Phoenix Rising were announced by HBO last week (February 22).
The film, which documents Wood’s decision to name Marilyn Manson as her alleged abuser, has two parts, titled Don’t Fall and Stand Up. Don’t Fall will air on Tuesday, March 15, while Stand Up arrives the following day.