You may not realize it, but writer and director John Hughes is celebrated every year thanks to his immortal holiday classics like Planes, Trains and Automobiles, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation and, of course, Home Alone. That’s not even mentioning his slate of timeless teenage angst films like The Breakfast Club, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Sixteen Candles and Pretty in Pink. And his beloved films don’t even end there. Hot off heels of the positively received John Candy documentary, I Like Me, Deadline reports that an official John Hughes documentary is now in development.
John Hughes III is currently in talks with filmmakers Chris Smith and Jack Turner for a fully authorized look into the famous director’s life and career. Jack Whigham of Range Media Partners is reportedly producing on the project. Hughes III will be providing exclusive access to an extensive, never-before-seen archive of photos and behind-the-scenes footage of the famed, Chicago-based 80s director. There will also likely be no shortage of special interviews from those who have worked with Hughes, ranging from Macaulay Culkin to Steve Martin to Emilio Estevez.
Hughes III is no stranger to the business as he’s an experienced producer and former record label owner. He is a co-founder of Blue Cuckoo Pictures, which is a documentary film production company based in London and Chicago. One of their most recent projects is Twin, an upcoming feature-length documentary that tells the story of two Chicago brothers and an incredible miscarriage of justice. Hughes III served as an executive producer on the doc.
Meanwhile, Chris Smith is known for projects that include the Emmy-nominated documentaries Jim & Andy, Tiger King and 100 Foot Wave. His first documentary , American Movie, won the Grand Jury prize at the 1999 Sundance Film Festival. Other projects in his resume include Operation Varsity Blues, as well as the series Bad Vegan.
Additionally, Jack Turner is an Emmy-winning producer whose recent credits include the Emmy-nominated Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields, BS High, Sneaker Wars: Adidas v Puma, Merchants of Joy and Stephen Chbosky’s Emmy-nominated Nonnas.
The Johns — Hughes and Candy — have legacies in cinema that can never be equalled, and if this project is anything like I Like Me, it will make audiences want to revisit their films more and more.
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