Chris Farley biopic - Josh Gad directing

A Chris Farley biopic is in the works, with Josh Gad set to direct.

In the hot package being shopped around town, Emmy, Critics’ Choice, and Golden Globe Award winner Paul Walter Hauser is attached to star as the legendary comedian. There’s no word yet on where the project will land, but it’s sure to attract a slew of bidders.

The film will adapt best-selling biography “The Chris Farley Show: A Biography in Three Acts” by Tom Farley Jr. and Tanner Colby, with Lorne Michaels producing via Broadway Video.

Oscar and Emmy nominees Scott Neustadter & Michael H. Weber (“The Disaster Artist,” “Daisy Jones & the Six”) will write the screenplay.

The project has the blessing of the Farley family.

New Line Cinema has landed the Chris Farley biopic starring Paul Walter Hauser, in what Variety is told was a highly competitive situation.

The film, which has the blessing of the Farley family, will mark actor Josh Gad‘s directorial debut, with Lorne Michaels and Erin David producing via Broadway Video.

Oscar and Emmy nominees Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber (“The Disaster Artist,” “Daisy Jones & the Six”) will write the screenplay based on the New York Times best-selling biography “The Chris Farley Show: A Biography in Three Acts” by Tom Farley Jr. (Chris Farley’s brother) and Tanner Colby.

Hauser, an Emmy, Critics’ Choice, and Golden Globe Award-winning actor for his role in “Black Bird,” will next be seen in Disney and Pixar’s “Inside Out 2” as the voice of Embarrassment. He will then appear opposite Matt Damon in Apple Original Films’ “The Instigators,” helmed by Doug Liman. He’s also set to lead Tony Tost’s directorial debut “Americana” opposite Sydney Sweeney, which was recently acquired by Lionsgate. His previous credits include “Richard Jewell,” “I, Tonya,” “Cruella” and “Cobra Kai.”

Before his death in 1997 of a drug overdose, Farley rose to fame during his five seasons as a cast member on “Saturday Night Live.” Farley brought that his charisma to big-screen comedies like “Tommy Boy,” “Black Sheep” and “Beverly Hills Ninja.”