Pauly Shore is determined to get Richard Simmons on board with his plans to produce and star in a biopic ... and he has a new plan to appeal to the reclusive fitness guru.
Pauly joined us Monday on "TMZ Live," and he told us he wants to get the director from the Elton John biopic, "Rocketman" involved ... so they can bring something real to Richard and appeal to his heart.
RICHARD SIMMONS UPDATE pic.twitter.com/AFpUZnBChS
— Pauly Shore (@PaulyShore) September 25, 2023
The way Paul envisions things shaking out ... Dexter Fletcher directs a 10-minute presentation they can take to Richard, so they can show him the biopic is not some joke, but an important story that needs to be told for Richard's legion of fans.
Problem is ... Richard's so far been unreceptive. As we first reported, RS doesn't want to get involved in Pauly's project and prefers to continue living his life in private, remaining out of the spotlight.
Pauly's not giving up so easily though, and sounds confident he can change Richard's mind.
Richard's been out of the public eye for years ... and last summer TMZ released "TMZ Investigates: What Really Happened to Richard Simmons" on FOX and Hulu, which drew a huge response and led to Richard posting a rare message to his fans.
Pauly's known Richard for decades -- so did his late mother, Comedy Store owner Mitzi Shore -- and he has an interesting theory about what's behind Richard's reclusiveness.