On top of being one of the greatest musical comedies ever made, the story behind The Blues Brothers coming to the big screen in the summer of 1980 is every bit as engrossing as the movie itself, which went on to earn $115 million at the box office before cementing itself as an enduring cult favorite.
As per The Hollywood Reporter, a new docuseries is in the works that’s set to dive deep into the origins, development and production of The Blues Brothers, with significant input from Dan Akroyd and the estate of the late John Belushi, including archive materials that have never been seen before.
The Blues Brothers originated as a musical sensation on Saturday Night Live, but there was trouble on the shoot from the beginning. Cameras started rolling without a final budget or a completed script, while Belushi’s rampant drug abuse and hard partying resulted in a series of lengthy and very costly delays.
Akroyd even claimed that part of the cost was set aside exclusively for cocaine purchases, such was the heavy prevalence on set, while Belushi was anesthetized at one stage so he could shoot a song-and-dance number despite suffering from a fairly serious knee injury. The Blues Brothers was an onscreen sensation but regularly a behind the scenes shambles, so the documentary promises to be a fascinating insight into a stone cold classic.