On Wednesday, news of an upcoming biopic on the life of fitness guru Richard Simmons began to circulate, along with casting details as to who will take on the film's lead role, Pauly Shore, who's already all set in the curls and endless energy department.
Speaking to People in September 2023, Shore detailed how a meme showing how he and Simmons look similar to one another jumpstarted the idea for the biopic, but went on to say that his attempts to get approval from the man who, at that time, had not been seen in public for ten years were shot down. And although nothing has changed Simmons' mind between then and now, Shore is moving ahead with the project anyway.
"The Court Jester," a short film premiering this week at the Sundance Film Festival ahead of a feature-length film which is currently in development at Warner Bros. subsidiary The Wolper Organization, released its first teaser trailer and, shortly after, statements were made by Simmons and his team making it clear that they're still not on board with the idea.
Simmons' rep told ET in a statement on Wednesday, "Richard and I are not endorsing this project. It is unauthorized. I spoke to Pauly last year and told him [Richard] is not ready to tell his story." And a post to Simmons' verified Facebook account made that further clear with word from Richard himself, writing, "Hi Everybody! 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. I no longer have a manager, and I no longer have a publicist. I just try to live a quiet life and be peaceful. Thank you for all your love and support."
Watch the teaser trailer for "The Court Jester" here:
