According to a recent report from Variety, Pauly Shore is set to play iconic fitness personality and public figure Richard Simmons in an upcoming biopic.
Not too much is known about the upcoming film, which Variety notes is in development at Warner Bros. Discovery’s The Wolper Organization.
Shockingly, this won’t be the first time that Shore has played the role of Richard Simmons, as he’s also set to star as the fitness icon in a short film titled The Court Jester from writer and director Jake Lewis. That film is set to premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 19, 2024.
Pauly Shore is excited to bring Simmons’ silly personality to the screen
“I’m really excited about sharing Richard Simmons’s life with the world,” said Shore in a statement on the new biopic. “We all need this biopic now more than ever. Simmons represented mental health, getting people in shape and being his authentic silly self! Whenever he was on TV you could never take your eyes off of him and he brought such a joy to his appearances that represented nothing but a good time.”
Richard Simmons became widely known in the 1970s due to his exposure on television and frequent guest appearances on various talk shows. His personality and style of weight loss promotion was often parodied due to his large personality and iconic look.
Despite being such a large public figure for most of his life, Simmons has taken a step back out of the lime light in recent years. His most recent public appearance came in 2014, and he hasn’t done any shows or appearances since. The reason being, according to Simmons, is simply that he wants to be less visible nowadays.