While Marvel fans anticipate “Deadpool 3,” which Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman just made a buzzy promo for, it’s easy to forget that Reynolds has more going on than reprising The Merc With The Mouth. In fact, along with acting and his various business ventures, Reynolds has his production company, Maximum Effort. And IGN reports that Reynolds and Colin Hanks have a new project under that banner: a documentary about the life and career of comedy legend John Candy.
Reynolds announced the project on Twitter after John Candy started trending on the social media platform earlier this week. “With John Candy trending, I’ll just say I love him,” wrote Reynolds in a tweet. “So much so, Maximum Effort is working on a documentary on his life with Colin Hanks. Expect tears.” Maximum Effort’s official Twitter account followed that up with a retweet of Reynolds’ announcement. Their tweet included a quote from 1987’s “Planes, Trains and Automobiles,” where Candy’s Del Griffith says, “You wanna hurt me? Go right ahead if it makes you feel any better. I’m an easy target.”
Cue the tears? Maybe for when the movie comes out. And People made Reynold’s announcement official when a representative for Reynolds confirmed that the Candy family had given Maximum Effort access to Candy’s “archive and home video footage” for the doc. Candy’s kids also confirmed the news with respective tweets of their own: “This is all true,” said Christopher Candy, while Jennifer Candy said, “Boom! So looking forward to working on this with them and our family. This project is in great hands.”
Candy tragically died in 1994 at age 43 of a heart attack while filming “Wagons East” in Mexico. The comedy actor rose to fame in the 1980s after a string of hit films that included “Stripes,” “Spaceballs,” and “Uncle Buck.” “Planes, Trains and Automobiles,” in which Candy paired with Steve Martin for the ultimate odd-couple, might be his most fondly remembered screen role. Del Griffith’s ever-chipper shower curtain ring salesman may have been a thorn in the side of Martin’s Neal Page in that movie, but Candy’s performance in the film remains beloved.
No news on when this documentary on Candy will release, but it’s safe to expect it before “Deadpool 3” hits theaters in 2024. Reynolds stars next in “Spirited,” a new take on “A Christmas Carol” with Will Ferrell, and is currently shooting John Krasinski‘s fantasy epic “If,” also due in theaters in 2024.