Daniel Radcliffe’s Weird Al film has gone down a treat at Toronto International Film Festival.
Also starring Evan Rachel Wood as Madonna, the project, titled Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, follows the life and career of the Grammy winner, who is known for his hits included Eat It (a parody of Michael Jackson’s Beat It) and Amish Paradise (Coolio’s Gangsta’s Paradise).
The Harry Potter actor takes on the title role and well and truly got into character, donning his signature moustache and a curly wig.
There’s been a lot of hype around the film’s release, with fans at the Toronto Film Festival lining up for over two hours to catch the midnight screening – some of whom even wore curly wigs and Hawaiian shirts in homage to the music star.
Oh, and there were at least two accordions in line as well.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the first showing of the film was pretty rowdy, as excitement bubbled and fans sang and clapped along with Yankovic’s songs, including I Love Rocky Road.
Following the screening, Yankovic himself – wearing a gaudy shirt, of course – took to the stage with Radcliffe and other cast members to receive a standing ovation.
Radcliffe previously said it was ‘a very easy conversation’ when he was asked to take on the big role of the singer-songwriter.
On how he managed to master the star’s signature instrument, he laughed: ‘I did what I could. It is a very hard instrument.’
In preparation for the role, Radcliffe revealed that Yankovic send him many video tutorials, which the star will ‘treasure for the rest of my life’.
Produced by Funny Or Die and Tango, Weird: The Al Yankovic Story started production earlier this year.
However, as of yet, there isn’t a release date – but it is set to stream on the Roku channel in autumn.
Fans will, no doubt, be flocking to cinemas once the film lands, given the buzz surrounding the trailer alone when it dropped last week.
The film is billed to reveal the ‘untold true story’ of Yankovic, as well as documenting his rise to fame with some of his earliest hits such as the Madonna Like A Virgin spoof Like A Surgeon.
It will also supposedly document Yankovic’s ‘torrid celebrity affairs and famously depraved lifestyle’, which, let’s be honest, sounds somewhat intriguing.
