'Abbott Elementary' Star Quinta Brunson Transforms Into Oprah Winfrey for Weird Al Biopic

By Stephen Andrew

Abbott Elementary creator and star Quinta Brunson has joined the Weird Al biopic, transforming into the iconic Oprah Winfrey for the upcoming movie, titled Weird: The Al Yankovic Story. In a new photo, Brunson is seen posing with Daniel Radcliffe, who plays legendary musical comedian "Weird" Al Yankovic. The two are in costume, with Brunson donning a classic '80s Oprah look, complete with high waisted belt and feathered hairdo.

The new comedy biopic film is directed by Eric Appel from a script he wrote with Yankovic. In a previous statement on the new film, Appel joked, "When Weird Al first sat me down against my will and told me his life story, I didn't believe any of it, but I knew that we had to make a movie about it." Yankovic added, per Deadline, "When my last movie UHF came out in 1989, I made a solemn vow to my fans that I would release a major motion picture every 33 years, like clockwork. I'm very happy to say we're on schedule. And I am absolutely thrilled that Daniel Radcliffe will be portraying me in the film. I have no doubt whatsoever that this is the role future generations will remember him for."

In addition to Radcliffe and Brunson, Weird: The Al Yankovic Story also stars Rainn Wilson, Evan Rachel Wood, Toby Huss, and Julianne Nicholson. It has also been teased that Olivia Wilde, Gary Cole, Mary Steenburgen, and Patton Oswalt all appeared as well. The movie began filming in late February and wrapped in early March, just 18 days later.

In a past statement, Roku's Head of Original Scripted Programming, Colin Davis commented on the new project, sharing his excitement to be part of it. "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," he said. "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." In addition to Roku's involvement, Weird: The Al Yankovic Story is being produced by Funny or Die and Tango. Henry Muñoz III, Funny Or Die's Chairman and an executive producer on the film, said, "I am excited that my first project as the owner of Funny Or Die Studios is to help bring the story of 'Weird Al' Yankovic to the screen."

0comments
Start the Conversation

of