Whether in Planes, Trains & Automobiles, Uncle Buck, or even Only the Lonely, John Candy showed himself as both an incredibly comic and genuinely sincere performer who was appreciated by all up to and even after his tragic demise. Now, fellow Canadian and great admirer Ryan Reynolds wants to celebrate his legacy. The Deadpool star stated via Twitter that his production business Maximum Effort is making a documentary about the life of Candy with Colin Hanks joining him on the project. On top of it all, Reynolds urges viewers to “expect tears” with the flick. Candy is a Canadian legend, beginning his career in modest parts, including a children’s programme called Coming Up Rosie with Dan Aykroyd, before gaining notice through Toronto’s chapter of The Second City improv comedy company and its Emmy-winning variety show Second City Television.
There, he’d perform with other comedians he’d eventually share humorous success with, such as Harold Ramis and Eugene Levy, the latter of whom would join him in his breakout appearance in Ron Howard’s Splash starring Tom Hanks. Throughout the 80s and 90s, Candy was in highly great demand, achieving comedy highs with the aforementioned Planes, Trains and Automobiles with Steve Martin and more sensitive parts like his performance as the coach of a Jamaican bobsled team in Cool Runnings.
He earned his stripes as a comedy superstar, but his narrative is particularly heartbreaking for his addiction to drink and drugs which finally contributed to his death. On March 4, 1994, he’d die away abruptly aged 43 from a heart attack in his sleep while filming in Mexico for Wagons East. Reynolds has made it no secret how much he appreciates Candy. On the 26th anniversary of his passing, Reynolds turned to Instagram to share a poignant homage to the late actor flashing through his numerous roles. “He constantly walked that balance between humorous and painful,” he wrote. “His movies mean so lot to me. If you haven’t seen his work, check it out. Indeed, he is a really handsome man.”
In a recent interview for David Letterman’s My Next Guest Needs No Introduction, Reynolds gushed about his childhood crush on Candy and how he paid homage to the actor in Deadpool by having Del Griffith’s erotica collection include a book signed by Candy. Reynolds isn’t a complete novice to the world of documentaries, though. He previously produced and narrated The Whale, a film about a killer whale named Luna who ended up befriending humans near Vancouver Island’s Nootka Sound after being isolated from its pod. As for Hanks, the Emmy-winning actor has acted as a producer on a pair of documentaries himself including the TV feature Say Hey, Willy Mays! as well as an impending documentary about Michael Jackson’s Thriller.