A Chris Farley biopic with Paul Walter Hauser playing the legendary comedian and Josh Gad directing is in the works

Josh Gad’s Chris Farley biopic is in the works with Cobra Kai’s Paul Walter Hauser, who is starring as the legendary comedian.

Cruella and Cobra Kai actor Paul Walter Hauser is going from voicing Embarrassment in Pixar’s upcoming sequel Inside Out 2 to living in a van down by the river for the lead role in Josh Gad’s Chris Farley biopic. Hauser is stuffing himself into a little coat to play the legendary comedian, Saturday Night Live alum, and star of comedies like Tommy Boy, Black Sheep, and Beverly Hills Ninja. Josh Gad directs the Chris Farley biopic, with Lorne Michaels producing through his Broadway video studio.

Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber will pen the script based on the New York Times best-selling biography The Chris Farley Show: A Biography in Three Acts by Tom Farley Jr. and Tanner Colby. Chris Farley’s family is excited about who’s attached to the project. I’m officially dying to see Hauser’s portrayal of Farley, the energetic, unpredictable master of comedy, taken too soon from this world.

Chris Farley and his collaborative film partners David Spade and Adam Sandler burned like the North Star as Saturday Night Live cast members. Whether Farley delivered motivational speeches as his character Matt Foley, ate fries at the Food Court as a mall girl, or shook what his mama gave him alongside Patrick Swayze as a Chippendales dancer, Farley brought smiles to audiences worldwide.

Sadly, Chris Farley died of an overdose of a combination of cocaine and morphine in 1997. He was 33 years old. His passing sent shockwaves throughout Hollywood, with fellow SNL members and fans devastated by the loss. I can still recall the day Farley died and how tragic and sad it was. Later that evening, my friends and I held a movie marathon with Tommy Boy, Black Sheep, Airheads, and Coneheads in the rotation.

Meanwhile, Paul Walter Hauser continues to impress after fantastic performances in BlacKkKlansman,  Richard Jewell, Cruella, and more. Cobra Kai fans know Hauser as Raymond ‘Stingray’ Porter from Netflix’s Karate Kid sequel series. This summer, you can catch Hauser as the voice of Embarrassment in Pixar’s highly-anticipated sequel Inside Out 2.

Are you intrigued by Paul Walter Hauser starring in Josh Gad’s Chris Farley biopic? Let us know in the comments section below.

About the Author

Born and raised in New York, then immigrated to Canada, Steve Seigh has been a JoBlo.com editor, columnist, and critic since 2012. He started with Ink & Pixel, a column celebrating the magic and evolution of animation, before launching the companion YouTube series Animation Movies Revisited. He’s also the host of the Talking Comics Podcast, a personality-driven audio show focusing on comic books, film, music, and more. You’ll rarely catch him without headphones on his head and pancakes on his breath.