Richard Simmons isn’t wasting any time distancing himself from The Court Jester, a new biopic about his life starring Pauly Shore. A teaser for the film was released on Wednesday, and within hours, a rep for Simmons made it clear to TMZ that the fitness guru did not authorize the production:
We’re told Pauly and Richard’s team spoke last year about PS portraying him in a film, but Richard’s people told the comedian the timing wasn’t right for Richard to get on board.
We already knew Pauly didn’t have RS’ blessing for this project — something Pauly really sought — and now … we know Richard’s position hasn’t changed, though his rep says there will come a time when Richard wants to tell his story. Pauly’s thing just ain’t it, though.
The Hollywood Reporter recently confirmed that The Court Jester will screen at Sundance this week on January 19. From there, the film will reportedly be available on YouTube.
“I’m really excited about sharing Richard Simmons’ life with the world. We all need this biopic now more than ever,” Shore said in a statement. “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.”
You can watch the teaser for The Court Jester below:
(Via TMZ, The Hollywood Reporter)