A new Richard Simmons biopic is in the works, and Pauly Shore is going to play the fitness icon.
The movie is currently in development at Warner Bros. subsidiary The Wolper Organization.
While it’s already known that Pauly Shore will star in the film, additional casting is still underway.
Behind-the-scenes drama…
Sadly, Richard Simmons doesn’t seem to be happy with this project, even before its release.
The fitness icon took to social media to disavow the project, insisting that he has never “given my permission for this movie.”
“Hi Everybody! You may have heard they may be doing a movie about me with Pauly Shore,” Simmons began in his post on Facebook.
He continued, “I have never given my permission for this movie. So don’t believe everything you read.”
“I no longer have a manager, and I no longer have a publicist,” Simmons went on. “I just try to live a quiet life and be peaceful.”
He concluded the message by writing, “Thank you for all your love and support.”
But, that’s not the only film about Richard Simmons in the works!
A short film titled The Court Jester–which also stars Shore as Simmons–will premiere at Sundance Film Festival on Jan. 19 before making its way to YouTube.
The short film, directed by Jake Lewis, is unrelated to the biopic.
The studio’s response…
The Wolper Organization responded to Simmons’ statement in a statement of their own to Variety.
“While we would love to have [Simmons] involved, we respect his desire to privacy and plan to produce a movie that honors him, celebrates him and tells a dramatic story,” the statement began.
The production company added, “We know he is deeply private and we would never want to invade that, however he is an amazing person that changed millions of peoples’ lives, and the effect he has had on the world needs to be recognized.”
Richard Simmons is one of the most famous names in fitness.
He became a household name due to his eccentric personality and his successful line of “Sweatin’ to the Oldies” aerobics videos.
Throughout his career, he made frequent appearances on Late Night With David Letterman, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, The Howard Stern Show and many more programs, giving the public his advice and weight-loss strategies.
Back in 2014, Simmons mysteriously disappeared from public life, which caused widespread concern among his fans and followers.
A couple years later, he insisted that his reclusiveness was based on nothing but his own desire to leave his public life behind.
He told Today in a phone interview in 2016 that “no one is holding me in my house as a hostage,” and he simply preferred privacy.
How Pauly feels
Despite not receiving Simmons’ blessing, Pauly Shore is still excited for his upcoming role.
“I’m really excited about sharing Richard Simmons’s life with the world,” Shore said in a statement Wednesday morning.
He continued, “We all need this biopic now more than ever.”
“Simmons represented mental health, getting people in shape and being his authentic silly self!”
Shore concluded, “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.”
Mark Wolper of The Wolper Organization revealed that the studio is in “serious discussions with a major writer” to develop the movie.
They are reportedly looking to make the film as a “dramatic and heartfelt feature in the tone of Little Miss Sunshine.”
“We have been dancing around the idea for years, but it never coalesced until several months ago when I saw the press about Pauly Shore being touted by social media as the ONLY person that could play Richard,” Wolper said.