Pauly Shore is hoping Rocketman’s Dexter Fletcher will help him sell a Richard Simmons biopic.
On September 21, Shore responded to an influx of social media posts and memes suggesting he plays Simmons, the fitness icon whose career blew up in the late 1970s. Shore said that he had reached out to Simmons about playing him in a biopic and that he was “trying to make it happen.”
Shore provided an update on September 25 saying that Simmons’ representatives politely passed on the offer. “[His representatives] said Richard, at this time, wants to remain private, which we all need to respect.” He went on to say that Simmons could “always reach out to me if you change your mind. I’m just a phone call away.”
Near the end of his post, Shore pitched an idea involving Fletcher in an attempt to sell Simmons on the project.
“Why don’t we hit up Dexter Fletcher, the dude who did an amazing job directing Rocketman, the Elton John Story?” Shore wrote. “Dexter, we can do a test tape to present to Richard and his reps for his blessing? What do you think, you guys? I mean, the movie poster has already been made! Hit up Dexter, doodz.”
What else has Fletcher done besides Rocketman?
Fletcher made his directorial debut in 2011 with Wild Bill. Along with Rocketman, he’s also directed 2013’s Sunshine on Leith, 2014’s Eddie the Eagle, and 2023’s Ghosted with Chris Evans and Ana de Armas. He also replaced Bryan Singer as the director of 2018’s Bohemian Rhapsody; however, he was only credited as an executive producer due to the Directors Guild of America (DGA) rules.
Fletcher was also tapped to direct a third Sherlock Holmes movie with Robert Downey Jr. in 2019; however, after an already delayed production, the project went on hold in 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The movie currently does not have a release date.
