Fitness icon Richard Simmons says he is not participating in the development of a newly announced biopic about his life starring comedic actor Pauly Shore.
“You may have heard they may be doing a movie about me with Pauly Shore. I have never given my permission for this movie. So don’t believe everything you read,” Simmons, who is notoriously private, wrote in a rare statement posted to his verified Facebook page on Wednesday.
He added, “I just try to live a quiet life and be peaceful. Thank you for all your love and support.”
Shore is set to star as Simmons in the upcoming biopic that’s being produced by the Wolper Organization, a subsidiary of Warner Bros., according to a news release sent to CNN on Wednesday. (CNN’s parent company is Warner Bros. Discovery, which also owns Warner Bros.)
“While we would love to have him involved, we respect his desire to privacy and plan to produce a movie that honors him, celebrates him and tells a dramatic story,” the Wolper Organization said in a statement sent to CNN in response to Simmons’ Facebook post.
“We know he is deeply private and we would never want to invade that, how ever (sic) he is an amazing person, that changed millions of peoples lives and the effect he has had on the world needs to be recognized,” the statement continued.
CNN has reached out to representatives for Simmons seeking further comment, though Simmons noted in his statement on Wednesday that he does not currently have a manager or publicist.
“I’m really excited about sharing Richard Simmons’s 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!”
Little is known about what parts of Simmons’ life and illustrious career the feature-length biopic will focus on, but Wolper Organization executive Mark Wolper said in a statement that the production company is in “serious discussions with a major writer to develop this as a dramatic and heartfelt feature in the tone of Little Miss Sunshine.”
Simmons, who built a fitness empire in the 1980s and a reputation as a gregarious health advocate with a bubbly personality, has remained out of the public eye in recent years.
The circumstances surrounding his whereabouts and wellbeing has provided a fair share of internet fodder, but a representative for Simmons said in July that he is “happy.”
Shore is also portraying Simmons in an unrelated short film titled “The Court Jester,” which is premiering on Friday at the Sundance Film Festival and will be available to stream on YouTube that night.
