Paul Walter Hauser has been cast to portray late comedian Chris Farley in an upcoming biopic.
“This is a glory story. Not a tale from the crypt. Ready to honor Christopher,” Emmy-winning actor, 37, wrote on Instagram Friday.
Farley, a “Saturday Night Live” alum and the star of numerous ’90s movies including “Tommy Boy” and “Beverly Hills Ninja,” died of a drug overdose in 1997 at the age of 33.
The film will be based on the book “The Chris Farley Show: A Biography in Three Acts,” written by Farley’s brother Tom with Tanner Colby. It will be actor Josh Gad’s directorial debut, with “SNL” creator Lorne Michaels producing.
Hauser has previously starred in films including “I, Tonya” and “Cruella and I,” and earlier this year won the Emmy for Supporting Actor In A Limited Or Anthology Series Or Movie for his role in Apple TV’s “Black Bird.”
Back in 2021, Hauser told The Hollywood Reporter he had approached the Farley family about potentially playing the comedian.
“I wanted to do a Chris Farley movie where he’s in rehab for half of the film, and for the other half of the movie he’s doing his ‘SNL’ stuff and his movies,” Hauser told the outlet.
“I think I have a really great take on that story, but I’m trying to lose weight and I’m trying to redefine myself as a person of healthy choice-making, and as an actor,” he said. “So the days of doing Fatty Arbuckle, Chris Farley or Ignatius J. Reilly in a ‘Confederacy of Dunces’ movie have a very small time window, and it’s getting smaller by the week.”
Story via TMX