It has been a back and forth battle between actor Pauly Shore and ‘80s fitness guru Richard Simmons, who Shore desperately wants to portray in a biopic, but it seems like the project is moving forward, with or without the support of Simmons.
The idea first came about when it was announced that Shore was going to star in the Sundance Film Festival short film “The Court Jester,” which saw him play Simmons in an uncanny likeness. Shore said he was hopeful that this would lead to a full biopic in which he could honor Simmons.
Simmons responded in a Facebook post, in which he said, “You may have heard they may be doing a movie about me with Pauly Shore. I have never given my permission for this movie. So don’t believe everything you read.”
Shore then made a statement pleading that his feature would be all about love, and honoring Simmons, but Simmons was still hesitant to engage, then posting on X, “I just read that a man that I don’t know is writing my biopic starring Pauly Shore. I do not approve this movie. I am in talks with major studios to create my own biopic with some help. Wait for this movie.”
Subsequently, Shore said that he had been “up all night crying” in a lengthy Instagram caption on the subject matter. “Richard, you haven’t even heard the pitch. Why don’t you simply let me come over to your house, bring you some warm matzo ball soup and a pastrami sandwich with dark mustard from Canters, rub your feet, and we can listen to the writer, Jordan Allen-Dutton, pitch you our idea?”
Shore even stated that he hopes Simmons’s own biopic is made as well, and offered support and hope that many more movies are made about him. But at this point, aside from giving Simmons the opportunity to be involved, and assuring him that the film will honor him, the studio is ready to move forward with or without him.
The Wolper Organization, a Warner Bros. subsidiary, previously said in a statement: “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.
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.”
It really seems like Simmons should just hear the pitch, and support a project that is seemingly so eager to do his story justice. Shore looks so much like Simmons, and he does seem to have a sincere love for him. I hope he’s able to just enjoy the process and the film when it’s released.
via: Variety