Josh Gad to direct 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.

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.

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'.