Well, since Bill Murray isn’t returning his calls about “Ghostbusters 3,” Dan Aykroyd is continuing to go all George Lucas in the second half of his career, and isn’t content with shitting on the legacy of one just franchise. Nope, he’s gonna now drag “The Blues Brothers” through the mud.
If you thought the insipid “Blues Brothers 2000” was as low as Aykroyd and company could go, you’re mistaken, as Variety report the two guys on a mission from God are now being pitched for a new primetime TV series. Judy Belushi, Anne Beatts (“Saturday Night Live“), Wayne Catania and Kieron Lafferty have penned a pilot which would pick up with Jake and Elwood sprung from jail, with the latter looking for his real Dad after being raised in an orphanage. That doesn’t sound too bad right? Well how about this. Each episode will have a musical number (makes sense) but comparisons are already being drawn to another very popular hit show. “It would be ‘Route 66‘ meets ‘Glee,’ and it all goes to hell in a handbasket,” Beatts told the trade.
Listen, as much as we want to be optimistic and think the series will go after bonafide talent as least somewhat approaching the league of folks like James Brown, Ray Charles and Aretha Franklin who appeared in the original film, the truth is, for primetime, it probably means we’re going to get much more mainstream geared artists being sought out who are only tangentially connected to rhythm and blues and rock ‘n roll. Think: Kings Of Leon or Robin Thicke or Jo Calderone whatever. Oh, and one more thing. Aykroyd himself will voice a character in the proposed series, playing Jake and Elwood’s parole officer who we presume will remain offscreen.
Anyway, we kind of just wish that Aykroyd would go back to investigating UFOs or making new shapes for bottles of his Crystal Head Vodka (which, incidentally, is really good) instead of trying to keep the flame alive on franchises that should be left well enough alone. But when your last starring gig was a voice in “Yogi Bear” we suppose a certain amount of career desperation sets in.
