“And now, ladies and gentlemen, living history is about to be made.”
An animated comedy series based on The Blues Brothers - a music and comedy act that got its start in the late 1970s on “Saturday Night Live” - is currently in development.
The Emmy award-winning studio behind Fox’s “Bob’s Burgers” and “Bordertown,” Bento Box Entertainment, will produce the series, which has been in the works for quite a few years now. Original Blues Brothers member Dan Aykroyd and former “Saturday Night Live” writers Judy Belushi (the widow of the other original member, John Belushi) and Anne Beatts are helming the project along with Bento Box’s Scott Greenberg and Joel Kuwahara, Rehab Entertainment’s John W. Hyde and Blues Brothers manager Eric Gardner.
“The Blues Brothers” animated series will focus on the modern adventures of brothers Jake and Elwood Blues and the other members of their Chicago-based blues band. The music-heavy show will feature the group touring and getting into hijinks along the way. Expect to hear Blues Brothers hits and soul, blues and R&B classics along with new recordings. Guest appearances from music icons and up-and-coming artists will add excitement to the series.
“The show will be the Blues Brothers living in America and utilizing all new technology to make and promote their own records, seek out and record new artists and avoid law enforcement - and all while fighting for truth, justice and a better breakfast sandwich,” Aykroyd said.
“It is such a privilege for us to be able to produce the work of the very same people who played such an instrumental role in creating one of the most iconic, multi-faceted comedy and music brands of all time,” Greenberg said. “Now we all have the rare opportunity to translate the timeless comic genius of Dan and John from live-action to animation, while offering an entirely new generation of Blues Brothers fans the chance to appreciate them.”
Aykroyd and John Belushi debuted The Blues Brothers in a musical sketch on “Saturday Night Live” (in which they were both cast members) in January 1976. However, it was their April 1978 appearance as the show’s musical guest that launched them into fame. That episode’s host, Steve Martin, asked the duo to open one of his shows, which then led to a contract with Atlantic Records. “SNL” musician Paul Shaffer was hired as the act’s musical director, and they added a backing band in order to embark on a sold-out national tour that summer. Their 1978 debut album, “Briefcase Full of Blues,” was recorded live on that tour and went on to sell more than 3.5 million copies.
A 1980 film directed by John Landis chronicled the duo’s antics and grossed more than $100 million worldwide. Following John Belushi’s 1982 drug-overdose death, Aykroyd continued The Blues Brothers with other artists. The movie “Blues Brothers 2000” featured John Goodman as his partner in crime Mack McTeer, and John’s brother Jim Belushi has appeared numerous times as Zee Blues. Recently, Universal Music Group formed Blues Brothers Records, a joint venture between Don Was’ Blue Note label and Aykroyd, Judy Belushi and Gardner.
Bento Box is currently shopping “The Blues Brothers” series in hopes of landing a prime-time slot.
