In a surprise casting twist, Daniel Radcliffe is set to play Weird Al Yankovic in a new biopic about the cult comedy recording artist.

The new film titled Weird: The Al Yankovic Story is being written by Yankovic and Eric Appel, and produced by Will Ferrell and Adam McKay’s company, Funny Or Die.

Production is scheduled to begin in Los Angeles in early February with the flick set to be made available to view on streaming service Roku.

The film will follow the life and career of the five-time Grammy award-winning musician, whose early hits included Eat It (a parody of Michael Jackson’s Beat It), Amish Paradise (Coolio’s Gangsta’s Paradise) and Like a Surgeon (Madonna’s Like a Virgin).

Controversial character Yankovic, who has recorded more than 150 parodies and original songs, is the biggest-selling comedy recording artist of all time.

“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,” Yankovic said in a statement. “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,” he joked, in a nod to the 32-year-old actor’s best-known role as Harry Potter in the beloved wizarding franchise.

Radcliffe recently reunited with his Harry Potter co-stars for a TV special to mark the 20th anniversary of the first film in the eight-movie franchise.