Paul Walter Hauser’s Chris Farley biopic is moving forward, with principal photography expected to begin sometime next year.
That’s according to Hauser himself, who discussed the long-gestating project in a new episode of Barstool Sports’ Pardon My Take podcast Wednesday. “We’re going to shoot it next year at some point, probably later in the year,” Hauser revealed.
Hauser, whose interview happened to coincide with the 27th anniversary of Farley’s death, went on to reveal how playing the Saturday Night Live legend has long felt like something he was destined to do.
“I met up with [Chris’ brother] John Farley a couple years ago to talk about this being a possibility, and I gave him my phone number, and he goes ‘Why is your number already in my phone?’” Hauser recalled. “My number was already in John Farley’s phone, and we had never met. Weird things like that have been happening for a while, and I think some people are just supposed to play certain people.”
SNL creator Lorne Michaels and his production company Broadway Video began shopping the project earlier this year, with New Line Cinema ultimaately picking it up. Hauser is attached to star, with actor Josh Gad set to direct. Written by Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber, the project is based on the biography that Farley’s brother co-authored—The Chris Farley Show: A Biography in Three Acts by Tom Farley Jr. and Tanner Colby.
Despite the involvement of Michaels and Farley’s family, some of Farley’s close friends have expressed trepidation about the project. “I would hope it doesn’t just turn into [being] about drugs. I just want it to be the whole thing,” David Spade has said. “So with how much he did, I would want it to be more upbeat, hopefully.”
It sounds like Hauser has the same idea. “There was just a very sensitive, intellectual side [of Farley] that not everybody got to see, especially if they were a newer friend when he had already been very famous,” Hauser told Pardon My Take. “I think in telling that story, we hope to show the duality of him, as there’s a duality to many of us.”
Asked if he feels the pressure of taking on the role of Farley, Hauser was notably confident. “I’m not incapable of letting his fans down. Somebody can order a steak, and you give them exactly the fillet they ordered, and they’re still not happy. They send it back to the kitchen. Some people are impossible,” he admitted. “But I love Chris so much that I’m not worried about keeping his memory alive in an authentic and loving way. I know I’m going to do that.”
