After something of a misfire with “School for Scoundrels,” Todd Phillips is right back at the very top of Hollywood comedy directors after the gigantic success of “The Hangover.” “Due Date” shows every sign of matching its success when it hits theaters in November, and “The Hangover 2” kicks off in Thailand shortly for a release over Memorial Day next year. Today brings news that Philips may be cashing some of his credit for some more serious material, albeit material that will look at a legend in the comedy field.
Risky Business are reporting that Philips and writer Steve Conrad (“The Weather Man,” “The Pursuit of Happyness”) are developic a biopic of actor/comedian John Belushi, having acquired his life rights through Warner Bros. For those of you who don’t watch comedies predating “Happy Gilmore,” Belushi got his start on the original cast of “Saturday Night Live,” staying on the show until 1979, and then carving out a career in movies with indelible performances in the likes of “National Lampoon’s Animal House” and “The Blues Brothers,” as well as roles in Steven Spielberg’s “1941” and Michael Apted’s “Continental Divide.”
He was all set to be the biggest star in comedy, until he died, aged 33, after overdosing on a speedball (a combination of heroin and cocaine). Belushi’s life was previous adapted on screen in “Wired,” based on Bob Woodward’s controversial biography, and with Michael Chiklis in the lead, but it was heavily criticized by Belushi’s peers, and died a critical and commercial death.
Having a name as well-respected in the comedy world as Phillips can only be a boon to the film, although he hasn’t committed to directing yet. The article bats around a few predictable names for the lead, although it seems like speculation more than whispers: Zach Galifianakis and Jack Black are both ‘mentioned,’ but at 40, possibly deemed too old, while Jonah Hill, Seth Rogen, Ethan Suplee and Tyler Labine (who previously took the role in a 2005 TV movie) are also batted around; essential, every comic actor who weighs more than Jack McBrayer.
Conrad will pen the script after he wraps up work on “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty,” so we’re a way of from seeing it. While the talent involved here is pretty strong, we’re sort of inclined to agree with Black, who once said he wouldn’t take on Belushi’s shoes, saying that “His life is not as funny as his work, and watching me do an imitation of him doing his “Saturday Night Live” bits won’t be as funny as watching him do his ‘SNL’ bits.”
