Emile Hirsch is set play John Belushi in upcoming biopic. Emile will play the late comedian in a film adapted from a book written by Belushi’s ex wife . Jane Seymour filed for legal separation…
Another major biopic role as been filled. Days after Tom Hardy landed the role of Elton John, Variety confirms that Emile Hirsch is on board to portray the big screen version of John Belushi. The actor – best known for roles in Speed Racer , Milk and Into the Wild – will take on the persona of one of Saturday Night Live’ s first cast members, a hard partying comedian who died of a drug overdose on 1982 at the age of 33. Steve Conrad will write the untitled feature, which goes into production in the spring and which will be based on a 2005 biography penned by Belushi’s widow Judy. Belushi, also beloved for his role in Animal House, was previously played by The Shield star Michael Chiklis in 1989 release Wired . Do you think Hirsch is a good choice for Belushi? Yes, perfect! No way! Who is John Belushi? View Poll »
For three decades, we’ve been treated to numerous looks-back on the Dan Aykroyd -John Belushi comedy team, and the one perfect film they managed to make, 1980’s The Blues Brothers . So much dirt has already been dished over the decades that it almost feels like we know everything we’ll ever need to about the hard-partying tendencies that ultimately killed Belushi in 1982. We would be mistaken, as a new Vanity Fair profile will no doubt demonstrate that however many skeletons you think might have been unearthed, there’s always room for one or two more in the mass grave of a dead celebrity’s life story. The January issue features a new and very detailed look into the making of The Blues Brothers . Part fond remembrance, part cautionary tale, and part “Jesus H Christ, seriously. You seriously did all that,” it delivers absolutely delicious — and absolutely tragic — stories from Belushi’s friends, family and former coworkers about that film’s troubled production. We’ve culled a few choicer nuggets from the online preview: * The ’70s were even more decadent than we think. According to Dan Aykroyd, “We had a budget in the movie for cocaine for night shoots” during the making of > em> The Blues Brothers. And just like that, films like Zardoz suddenly begin to make more sense. * Belushi’s drug problem had gotten so out of hand that they actually asked Carrie Fisher – Carrie Fisher! – to keep him from consuming. I wonder if they also asked Chevy Chase to keep Dan Aykroyd from making bad decisions about the roles he intended to take during the late ’80s and early ’90s. * Belushi and Robert Downey, Jr. have a lot in common: Apparently Belushi disappeared from the set one night, and Aykroyd found him at a nearby home where, the homeowner told him, Belushi had just showed up, raided the man’s fridge like it wasn’t even a thing, and passed out on the couch. Obviously, this thing just became required, end-of-the-year reading. It goes without saying also that we’re very glad this kind of addiction is no longer enabled so blatantly. [ Source: Vanity Fair ]
Original ‘Saturday Night Live’ castmember died of a drug overdose in 1982. By Eric Ditzian Todd Phillips Photo: Frazer Harrison/ Getty Images Filmmaker Todd Phillips has made a career of documenting the modern man-child’s debauchery: Will Ferrell’s beer-bong-sucking nice guy in “Old School,” Owen Wilson’s stoner-cop in “Starsky & Hutch,” and basically the entire cast of the booze-sodden “Hangover.” Now Phillips is planning to document the travails of another debaucherous funnyman. But this time, it’s a true story, and we should expect a dose of tragedy to be mixed in with the drug-addled madness. Phillips and screenwriter Steven Conrad (“The Pursuit of Happyness”) are developing a biopic based on the life of John Belushi, following Warner Bros.’ acquisition of the comedian’s life-story rights from his estate, according to The Hollywood Reporter . Conrad is set to pen the script, with Phillips onboard as a producer but not yet committed to directing the project. Belushi was an original “Saturday Night Live” castmember, after getting his start with the Second City comedy group. He appeared on “SNL” from 1975 until 1979, leaving a year after the success of “Animal House” to pursue a full-time career in Hollywood. He appeared in “The Blues Brothers” in 1980, as well as a few other films. In 1982, at the age of 33, Belushi died of a drug overdose and was found in a hotel room at the Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles. Phillips’ project marks the latest effort to capture Belushi’s life on camera. In 1989, Michael Chiklis starred as Belushi in “Wired,” based on a biography that was widely condemned by the actor’s family and friends when it was released. In a 2002 TV-movie about “SNL” castmate Gilda Radner, Eric Siegel portrayed Belushi. And in a 2005 TV movie about TV show “Mork & Mindy,” Tyler Labine appeared as the comedian. Who might play the role this time around? THR drops names like frequent Phillips’ collaborator Zach Galifianakis, Jack Black, Jonah Hill and Seth Rogen. Who do you think should play the role of John Belushi? Tell us in the comments. For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com .
Also in today’s (slim) Hollywood Ink: Robert Schwendtke may be the new Ridley Scott, and Paramount gets geeky. But really: Let’s hear your Belushi recommendations after the jump.
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