Over the previous year, Pauly Shore has taken note of popular memes comparing his face to that of fitness icon Richard Simmons, eagerly anticipating the release of a movie biography—and one has now materialized, Deadline has learned.
The movie, starring Shore as Simmons, is being developed by The Wolper Organization, a Warner Bros. subsidiary. Additional casting is going taking place.
After starring as Simmons in the short film The Court Jester, which had its world premiere in Park City, UT, during the Sundance Film Festival, Shore joined the project. The movie, which also stars Tamra Brown as Ellen Degeneres, was written and directed by Jake Lewis, an independent filmmaker most renowned for the short film that starred Jamie Costa as Robin Williams that went viral a few years ago due to the actor’s spot-on portrayal of the character.
Alen Stubbs and Ehron Asher worked together to produce “The Court Jester,” with Michael Ostroff and Mark Waldman as executive producers and Max Ostroff as the co-producer. The short film will be shown at The Cabin in Park City on January 19th, and it will premiere on YouTube later that evening. A second in-person screening is scheduled for the 22nd.
It’s not yet clear who Simmons will team with Shore and producer Mark Wolpert on the feature, which is unrelated to the short. But Shore expressed interest in that kind of project in a message posted on Instagram last fall. “I’ve been paying attention to all the reactions to playing Richard Simmons in a new biopic. So I reached out to him,” Shore wrote. “I heard he’s living deep in Big Bear. We’re playing phone tag (yes, he still has a phone). I’m trying to make it happen for you guys.” Shore urged fans to “be optimistic and hit up @hulu, @amazonstudios, @disneyplus, @hbo, and all the big producers.” “I can definitely transform into this guy,” the actor and comedian said. I’ll see you at the academy in 2025.
Now that the project seems to be coming to fruition, in a statement obtained by Deadline, Shore shared that he is really excited to share the life of Richard Simmons with the world, adding that we all love this biopic, which is needed now more than ever. Over the course of his career, Shore reflected, Simmons began representing mental health, getting people in shape, and being his authentic goofy personality. Whenever he was on TV, you couldn’t take your eyes off him, and he brought a joy to his presence that represented nothing but a good time.
Mark Wolper, president of the Wolper Organization, said that there is a wonderful, dramatic, and uplifting story to tell about Richard Simmons. My organization has produced historical dramas and biopics for over 50 years, so we know what works. Wolpert revealed that his business had been dancing around the idea of a Simmons biography for years, but it only came to fruition when he noticed Pauly Shore was being promoted on social media as the only person who could play Richard.
After viewing photographs of the two and recognizing similarities, Wolper realized that Simmons and Shore had more in common than imagined. “They both lived or died based on how the world viewed them; they both fought to give their fans what they wanted, and they both deserve an amazing comeback story!!” He said. “My company has cast Polly to play Richard Simmons, and we are in serious discussions with a lead writer to develop it into a dramatic and heartfelt feature in the style of Little Miss Sunshine.”
While little seen or heard these days, at the age of 75, there was a time when Simmons’s image ran high as a fitness guru, actor, and comedian known for his energetic and flamboyant approach to health and wellness. Was famous for. It was in the 1980s that he became a household name due to his high-energy aerobic workouts and colorful personality, reflected in best-selling weight loss programs such as “Sweatin’ to the Oldies.” Beyond fitness, Simmons has made appearances on numerous television shows and talk programs, portraying himself in everything from CHiPs to The Larry Sanders Show and Arrested Development.
Shore came to popularity in the 1990s as the star of MTV’s Totally Pauly and films including Encino Man, Son in Law, and Bio-Dome. He’s also the director of Pauly Shore Is Dead and other projects, and he’s most recently seen playing himself in Zoe Lister-Jones and Daryl Wein’s Sundance dramedy How It Ends, as well as Sam Macaroni’s comedy Guest House, while also touring as a comic.
Most recently, The Waller Organization produced Warner Bros.’s upcoming adaptation of Stephen King’s novel Salem’s Lot. The company performs in L.A. in addition to many other productions. Known for films such as Confidential and television shows such as Bates Motel and Roots,.
The Carey Company and Brillstein Entertainment Partners represent Shore, while Celebrities Plus and Kleinberg Lang manage Cuddy and Carlo Simons.
