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Word on the street (read: internet) is that Hangover director Todd Phillips (who went to NYU film school and still manages to have a sense of humor) has acquired the rights for a John Belushi biopic and will be setting it up with tested biopic screenwriter Steven Conrad at Warners.

This is fantastic because 1) a Belushi biopic is exactly what the world needs and b) Warners has given Phillips a lot of creative freedom in the past – going so far as to give him a budget he can’t exceed and telling him they’ll see him at the premiere.

The challenge of all challenges is who to hire to play Belushi. Whoever it is comes at an automatic deficit. Especially if it’s a comedian. It would be like hiring a musician to play Kurt Cobain – the comparison will be constant, immediate, and lived-in.

Plus, no names come to mind immediately. Getting an overweight comedian is not the answer even if it’s the easiest. Hill, Galifianakis, Rogen (with some brave weight gain), Black, Lang? No, thank you.

Even if the drug abuse is there, it doesn’t come with the subtle genius of Belushi. Phillips would do well to look outside the comedy world for his Belushi. [Risky Business]