There has been news of a biopic about comedy legend John Belushi for years now with news that continues to come and go. The last attempt to get this project off the ground, which was discussed back in December, has fallen through but a new iteration, reportedly titled BELUSHI, is now moving forward. The project is now making moves to cast Belushi and it looks like the actor Adam Pally, known for the comedy series Happy Endings and last seen in SONIC THE HEDGEHOG, is being eyed to take on the lead in the film according to an exclusive from "Collider."
Adam Pally is actually the latest name to float around a John Belushi biopic that has seen a long line of actors that have been linked to the role in some capacity. Emile Hirsch, Adam DeVine, and even Joaquin Phoenix have all hovered around the project in its various iterations but it looks like Pally might be a lock. It could be a better choice since Pally isn't a huge name and won't distract too much from the real-life role he would be playing.
The cast is actually steadily growing on the project. Along with Pally, the cast has Ike Barinholtz set to play Belushi's friend and comedy cohort, Dan Akroyd, and Aubrey Plaza is potentially onboard to play Belushi's wife, Judith Belushi Pisano. It remains unclear if the real Dan Akroyd and Judith Belushi Pisano are on board creatively, but the former was previously attached to executive produce the project when it was in development back in 2013.
Set to direct the long-gestating project is David Frankel, whose previous credits include THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA, MARLEY & ME, and ONE CHANCE. The original iteration of this project was written nearly a decade ago by Steve Conrad, whose writing credits include WONDER and THE PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS. The biopic is expected to follow John Belushi during the height of his fame and tell the story of a man who embodied both the glory and tragedy of the American dream.
John Belushi accomplished a lot in a relatively short amount of time and is still remembered as a true comedic genius. Belushi began his career as one off the seven original cast members of the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live and he went on to steal his scenes in films like NATIONAL LAMPOON'S ANIMAL HOUSE, 1941, THE BLUES BROTHERS and NEIGHBORS. Tragically, Belushi's life was cut short at the age of 33 when he died in 1982 of a drug overdose after battling addiction for years.
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