'Blues Brothers' TV Project in Development

"The Blues Brothers"

The Blues Brothers, the 1970s comedy and musical duo made famous by Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi, could be coming back to television.

The former Saturday Night Live sketch-turned-big-screen feature is being redeveloped as a new series with Judy Belushi (John’s widow) among the writers attached.

A pilot script from Anne Beatts (who wrote for Saturday Night Live from 1975-1980), Belushi, Wayne Catania and Kieron Lafferty is on the verge of being shopped to networks and studios.

The project would see Jake and Elwood out of jail, with the latter searching for his real father.

Beatts, Belushi and Eric Gardner of Panacea Entertainment are on board as executive producers with Aykroyd voicing Jake and Elwood’s parole officer.

The musical sketch first originated on SNL in 1978. Aykroyd and Belushi capitalized on the success of the characters with a 1978 album, Briefcase Full of Blues. The characters were featured in the 1980 feature The Blues Brothers.

After Belushi's death in 1982, Aykroyd continued to perform with guest singers filling in. The band reformed in 1998 and again 10 years later when the big-screen sequel, Blues Brothers 2000, unspooled in theaters.

The project is the latest in a series of 1970s remakes this development season. NBC is developing Frankenstein and The Munsters, while CBS has Bewitched. ABC also is preparing to launch a Miami-set update of Charlie’s Angels next month.

Email: Lesley.Goldberg@thr.com; Twitter: @Snoodit

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