Pauly Shore is set to take advantage of his uncanny resemblance to Richard Simmons by playing the popular fitness instructor in a new biopic, reports Variety.
Currently in development at Warner Bros. subsidiary The Wolper Organization, the movie is in the process of filling out the additional cast.
In a statement, Shore praised Simmons’ contributions to the fitness world and overall well-being. “I’m really excited about sharing Richard Simmons’ life with the world,” the actor and comedian said. “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.”
Simmons rose to fame in the ’70s thanks to his Sweatin’ to the Oldies aerobic videos, becoming a household name after appearances on late night TV and radio talk shows like Late Show with David Letterman, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and The Howard Stern Show. In 2008, he put his support behind a bill mandating non-competitive physical education in public schools as a part of the No Child Left Behind Act.
Over the past decade, however, Simmons has retreated from the spotlight; he hasn’t been seen publicly since February 2014. This led to media reports about concern over his well-being, such as a widely read 2016 story in the New York Daily News.
Simmons responded to the report by assuring outlets like The Today Show and Entertainment Tonight that he wasn’t being held in his house as a hostage and explaining he “wanted to be a little bit of a loner for a little while” after injuring his knee.
Shore also stars as Simmons in The Court Jester, an unrelated short film from director and writer Jake Lewis set to premiere at this year’s Sundance Film Festival on January 19th, after which it will be released on YouTube.
Last year, Shore expressed his hope that Oscar wins by fellow Encino Man actors Brendan Fraser and Ke Huy Quan would spark his own comeback. A standout performance in the Richard Simmons biopic has the potential to accomplish exactly that.