The late comedian John Candy is getting the documentary treatment from Colin Hanks and Ryan Reynolds.
Amazon’s Prime Video is in negotiations to acquire an untitled film that Hanks has been quietly directing. Reynolds — who, like Candy, hails from Canada — is producing alongside George Dewey via his Maximum Effort production company.
The film will explore the life and legacy of the iconic funnyman Candy, who died of a heart attack in 1994 at the age of 43. But insiders say the film will go beyond the persona and delve into the inner life that Candy kept private off-screen. With the full support of Candy’s widow, Rose, and their two children, Jen and Chris, Hanks will utilize never-before-seen home videos, archives and interviews with the family to explore the man behind the movie star. Candy became one of the most in-demand comic stars of the 1980s and early ’90s, appearing in such films as “The Great Outdoors,” “Planes, Trains and Automobiles,” “Uncle Buck” and “Cool Runnings.”
Hanks brings to the project a unique vantage. His parents — Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson — starred alongside Candy in the 1985 comedy classic “Volunteers” when the younger Hanks would have been an 8 year old. Candy also co-starred in “Splash” with the elder Hanks the year before — a movie that put both actors on the map. Colin Hanks, who is best known for the “Jumanji” films and an Emmy-nominated turn on FX’s “Fargo,” has been ramping up his directing career in recent years, helming such films as “Eagles of Death Metal: Nos Amis (Our Friends)” and “All Things Must Pass” and TV series as ESPN’s “30 for 30.”
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He also is producing the Candy documentary with his Company Name partner Sean Stuart and Zipper Bros Films’ Glen Zipper.
Reynolds boasts an active producing career on many of his own star vehicles like “Deadpool” and “Free Guy.” But he has recently begun to move into the non-fiction space as an executive producer on the FX docuseries “Welcome to Wrexham,” which chronicles his and Rob McElhenney’s acquisition of Wrexham AFC, one of the oldest professional soccer clubs.
Hanks was represented on the Amazon deal by UTA, MGMT Entertainment and the law firm Brecheen Feldman Breimer Silver Thompson. Reynolds is handled by WME and Sloane, Offer, Weber & Dern.
