Pauly Shore to Star in Richard Simmons Film Premiering at Sundance

Actor and Comedian Pauly Shore is set to star as Richard Simmons in an upcoming film from The Wolper Organization, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Casting is currently underway.

The Court Jester, starring Shore, is a short film from filmmaker Jake Lewis. It will premiere at The Cabin in Park City on 1/19, then available worldwide on YouTube that night. There will be a second screening on 1/22 at The Cabin.

Jake Lewis is best known for creating the Robin Williams Test Footage short: Robin Williams Link The short is unrelated to the full-length feature with Wolper, but Wolper is in full support of it.

Pauly says: “I'm really excited about sharing Richard Simmons's life with the world. 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.”

Mark says: “There is an amazing, dramatic and uplifting story to tell about Richard Simmons.  My company has been making historical dramas and biopics for over 50 years now….we know what works.   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.  I saw the picture of them and realized these two are very similar, they both lived or died by how the world perceived them, they both fought to give their fans what they wanted and they both deserve an amazing comeback story!! My company has locked Pauly down to play Richard Simmons and we are in serious discussions with a major writer to develop this as a dramatic and heartfelt feature in the tone of Little Miss Sunshine.”

THE WOLPER ORGANIZATION, under the leadership of Mark Wolper, has been responsible for over 500 films, which have won more than 150 awards, including two Oscars, 50 Emmys, seven Golden Globes, five Peabody's, and recognition and retrospectives from Cannes and other respected international film festivals. The Wolper Organization has been in a 47-year relationship with Warner Bros.

Watch the trailer here: