The life of John Candy is getting the documentary treatment courtesy of Ryan Reynolds and Colin Hanks.
Reynolds announced the project after the late SCTV star started trending on social media earlier this week.
“With John Candy trending, I’ll just say I love him,” Reynolds, 45, wrote in a Twitter post that generated nearly 16,000 likes. “So much so, @maximumeffort is working on a documentary on his life with @colinhanks. Expect tears.”
Candy’s children shared their enthusiasm for the upcoming film. “This is all true,” Christopher, 38, said with Jennifer, 42, adding, “This project is in great hands.”
Maximum Effort, which was co-founded by Reynolds, also posted the news using a clip from Candy’s beloved Planes, Trains and Automobiles. “You wanna hurt me? Go right ahead if it makes you feel any better. I’m an easy target,” the tweet read.
In a statement to PEOPLE, a rep for Reynolds said the doc will contain never-before-seen clips of the late comedian, who was born in Newmarket, Ont.
“The Candy family is giving Maximum Effort access to his archive and home video footage,” they said.
Reynolds has previously spoken about his love for Candy, who died of a suspected heart attack at age 43 while filming Wagons East in 1994.
To mark the 25th anniversary of his death in 2019, the Deadpool star shared a montage of Candy’s screen roles calling him “a comedic genius and Canadian hero.”
The following year, Reynolds again paid tribute to Candy’s 20-year career on Instagram writing, “He always walked that tightrope between hilarious and heartbreaking. His movies mean so much to me. If you haven’t seen his work, check it out. He’s absolutely beautiful.”
Colin’s father Tom worked several times with Candy, appearing alongside the funnyman in 1984’s Splash and 1985’s Volunteers.
In 2020, the city of Toronto declared Oct. 31 John Candy Day.
“John Candy is a Canadian treasure who brought great joy to so many through his humour, acting and contributions to the entertainment industry and beyond,” Mayor John Tory said in a statement Friday.
“I had a chance to get to know him when he was an Argo owner. He was a decent humble man in the fashion of many famous Canadians and it is my privilege to honor his humour, his legacy and the pride he brought to our city on what would have been his 70th birthday.”
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