Into The Wild actor Emile Hirsch has officially signed on to play comedy legend John Belushi in a biopic that is still untitled. The news came on Monday, just a week after the project was suddenly revived.
Hirsch is best known for his starring role in Sean Penn’s Into The Wild, which was released in 2007. He worked with Penn again in Gus Van Sant’s Milk. He also starred in The Girl Next Door and Speed Racer. He’ll next be seen in Bonnie & Clyde, a two-night series that will air on History, Lifetime and A&E.
The Hollywood Reporter confirmed on Monday that Hirsch was cast in the role. Last week, the site had reported that he was one of three big candidates for the part, with the other two being Adam Devine and Joaquin Phoenix.
This project is being supported by the Belushi family, with his widow, Judy Belushi Pisano, co-producing. His fellow Saturday Night Live co-star Dan Aykroyd is executive producing and they are still looking for an actor to play him.
Steve Conrad is writing and now directing as well. His script is based on Belushi Pisano and Tanner Colby’s book Belushi. It will track his rise to fame, through to his death at age 33 from a drug overdose at the Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles.
image: Wikimedia Commons
