In brief: Steve Conrad will write and direct the second John Belushi biopic – Wired, starring The Shield‘s Michael Chiklis being the first one in 1989 – this time with Emile Hirsch becoming the Saturday Night Live comedian and Blues Brothers showman. Known for his intense dramatic roles – Into the Wild, Milk – Hirsch also has comedic skills up his sleeves as we’ve witnessed early in his career wooing Jack Bauer’s daughter, Elisha Cuthbert, in The Girl Next Door.
Writer and director, Conrad also knows how to juggle both comedy and drama in the same film. He proved it with The Weather Man and more recently with The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.
This untitled Belushi biopic is based on the book by the comedian’s widow Judith Belushi Pisano whilst Belushi’s friend and Blue Brother Dan Aykroyd will be the movie’s executive producer so it certainly looks like we can expect the movie to deliver a close and personal take on Belushi’s life. So early in pre-production, it’s hard to know what Conrad will focus on. Will he explore the dark side of Belushi’s fame or will he emphasize the comedy genius? One thing is sure, whatever direction Conrad takes – probably a mix of both comedy and drama as he’s used to do so – we believe this part will fit Hirsch like a glove.
