Josh Gad to direct Chris Farley biopic

Josh Gad is set to direct a Chris Farley biopic.

The movie is set to feature Paul Walter Hauser as the tragic 'Saturday Night Live' star, who died of a drug overdose on December 18, 1997 at the age of just 33.

'SNL's Lorne Michaels will produce the film, which will be based on the book 'The Chris Farley Show: A Biography in Three Acts' by Tom Farley Jr. and Tanner Colby.

Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber will write the screenplay, based on the book.

The role is a dream come true for Hauser, who revealed in 2021 that he had approached the Farley family about playing Chris in a movie.

While that project never came to fruition, the new movie has the backing of the Farley family, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Paul previously told THR: "I wanted to do a Chris Farley movie where he’s in rehab for half of the film, and for the other half of the movie, he’s doing his SNL stuff and his movies. I think I have a really great take on that story, but I’m trying to lose weight and I’m trying to redefine myself as a person of healthy choice-making, and as an actor. So the days of doing Fatty Arbuckle, Chris Farley or Ignatius J. Reilly in a Confederacy of Dunces movie have a very small time window, and it’s getting smaller by the week.”

After finding fame on 'SNL', Chris went on to have small roles in movies including 'Wayne's World' and 'Coneheads'.

He later landed leading roles in 'Tommy Boy', 'Black Sheep' and 'Beverly Hills Ninja'.

However, he struggled with alcohol and drug addiction and died of an overdose in 1997.