John Candy documentary in the works
Audiences will soon get a rare insight into the life of late comedian John Candy.
A new documentary, which insiders say will offer a more intimate account of Candy’s life, will include never-before-seen home videos as well as interviews with his surviving family members, Variety reports.
Colin Hanks, who is directing and producing the project, is said to have “full support” from Candy’s widow, Rose, as well as their two children, Jen and Chris.
Hanks brings a unique relationship to the subject material.
His parents — actors Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson — starred alongside Candy in the 1985 comedy “Volunteers,” when Colin would have been 8 years old. His father also worked with Candy the year prior in the romantic comedy “Splash.”
Candy, who was born in Toronto and got his start at Second City, passed away from a heart attack in 1994 at the age of 43.
He climbed to Hollywood stardom in the ’80s, starring in numerous box office hits, including “Stripes” (1981), “Brewster’s Millions” (1985), “Spaceballs” (1987), “Planes, Trains and Automobiles” (1987) and “Uncle Buck” (1989).
Actor Ryan Reynolds, who, like Candy, came to Hollywood by way of Canada, is also producing the film.
Reynolds has been building his resume in recent years, producing some of his own films such as “Deadpool” and “Free Guy,” as well as venturing into non-fiction with his FX docuseries “Welcome to Wrexham.”
For Hanks, it’s the latest in his budding directorial career. The former actor recently led projects like the music documentaries “Eagles of Death Metal: Nos Amis (Our Friends)” and the Tower Records doc “All Things Must Pass,” in addition to TV series such as ESPN’s “30 for 30.”
The documentary does not have a release date yet, as Hanks and Reynolds are currently in talks with Amazon’s Prime Video for distribution of the film.