Richard Simmons has emerged from retirement, and it’s not necessarily on good terms. The famed weight-loss advocate took to Facebook to make a rare public statement, and he’s speaking out against the newly announced biopic film about his life. The movie is set to star Pauly Shore, who turns up in a new short film, The Court Jester, which is also about Simmons and can be seen below.
“Hi Everybody! You may have heard they may be doing a movie about me with Pauly Shore,” Simmons wrote in his Facebook post. “I have never given my permission for this movie. So don’t believe everything you read. I no longer have a manager, and I no longer have a publicist. I just try to live a quiet life and be peaceful. Thank you for all your love and support.” He later took to the social media site to explain, “I have received quite a few media inquiries about the authenticity of my post.” Simmons reiterated, “I have not had a manager or publicist for years. If there are any more media inquiries, please email them through the contact page on my website at RichardSimmons.com.”
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While Simmons may not be thrilled about, Deadline reports that Shore and producer Mark Wolper from The Wolper Organization — a subsidiary of Warner Bros. — are now developing a full-length feature film about the life and career of Simmons. In a statement, obtained by Deadline, Shore said that he is “really excited about sharing Richard Simmons’s life with the world,” then added that “we all need this biopic now more than ever.” Reflecting on Simmon’s life, Shore noted how the fitness guru strongly advocated for “mental health, getting people in shape and being his authentic silly self! Whenever he was on TV you could never take your eyes off of him and he brought such a joy to his appearances that represented nothing but a good time.”
Wolper also issued a statement on the project, saying that “there is an amazing, dramatic and uplifting story to tell about Richard Simmons. My company has been making historical dramas and biopics for over 50 years now….we know what works.” Wolper went on to explain that he and his company had been “dancing around the idea” of developing a biopic about Simmons for some time, but things finally clicked when he began to notice “press about Pauly Shore being touted by social media as the ONLY person that could play Richard.” The new film is still in the early stages, but casting is reportedly underway.
