"As Far As I'm Concerned...": Chris Farley Biopic Movie Gets A Major Update From Paul Walter Hauser

Paul Walter Hauser offers an update on the upcoming Chris Farley biopic, where he’s set to portray the late comedy legend. The SNL standout died from a drug overdose in 1997 at the age of 33. Based on Tom Farley Jr. and Tanner Colby’s best-selling biography, The Chris Farley Show: A Biography in Three Acts, the project is set to be directed by Josh Gad with a screenplay from Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber. SNL creator Lorne Michaels and Erin David will serve as producers.

While talking to Jake’s Takes about his new film The Luckiest Man in America, Hauser shared a major update on the Farley project. He revealed that the biopic already has New Line Cinema’s support and a complete script, and is currently waiting for Warner Bros.’ green light to move forward. Check out his comments below:

We’re waiting on the greenlight from Warners Bros. New Line Cinema is already like, ‘Heck yeah.’ We have an amazing screenplay. The script only got better and better. Every time we gave a round of notes, the script came back, and it was just like better than we even imagined. So, as far as I’m concerned, thing’s ready to go. We’re just waiting on Warner Bros.

What This Means For The Chris Farley Biopic

It’s Very Close To Being Made

It sounds like the upcoming Chris Farley biopic is only one approval away from being made. In the same interview, The Fantastic Four: First Steps star shared that he hasn’t started preparation for the role yet, but not due to a lack of faith in the project. It’s because he knew how “psychologically intense” playing Farley would be. He expected the job to have a great impact on himself and those around him, and shared that he is “purposefully holding off” preparation until two or three months away from the official production start date.

With blessings from the Farley family, the project will be Gad’s feature directorial debut. Hauser, who knows the script in great detail, teased that the challenge of playing Farley lies in portraying him off-screen, when the Saturday Night Live cast member doesn’t have to put on a show in front of an audience. While the upcoming Chris Farley biopic has yet to receive a production start date, it sounds like the movie has a very big chance to be made this year, perhaps after Hauser completes press for this summer’s Fantastic Four.

Our Take On The Chris Farley Biopic

Chris Farley Biopic Is Going To Be Deep

Paul Walter Hauser looking down in The Luckiest Man In America

Hauser recently portrayed an ice cream truck driver-turned-millionaire in the drama film The Luckiest Man in America, where he was tasked to tell the untold story of Michael Larson, a man who’s in the middle of the biggest game show scandal in history. The upcoming Chris Farley biopic will see Hauser tapping into a similar but vastly different space. Farley was a legend who brought comfort and laughter to many, but in his personal life, he struggled with obesity, substance abuse, and fame.

The duality of Farley will be a highlight in the upcoming film, but it also poses a challenge and a potentially difficult role for Hauser. The fact that the actor is mentally prepared to set time and space apart to recover from the role says a lot about the depth and command of the script for the Chris Farley biopic, which could even be one of Paul Walter Hauser’s best movies. His transformation is definitely something to look forward to, and hopefully, the movie will get Warner Bros.’ approval without setbacks.

Source: Jake’s Takes