Phil Hartman will forever be known as one of the greatest comedians to hail from iconic "Saturday Night Live" and one of those incredibly talented stars that was taken too soon from the world, in a horrid incident where his wife Brynn killed him in his sleep and then committed suicide - and another big star from the 1990s is directing a Phil Hartman movie about him.
Jason Priestley, best known for his role of Brandon Walsh in Aaron Spelling's cult phenomenon "Beverly Hills 90210" (playing Shannen Doherty's fraternal twin brother), will be behind the scenes in the Phil Hartman movie, it has just been announced.
According to an exclusive story by Variety, Priestley has just been confirmed as the director of the Phil Hartman movie, which will be called "Nice Guy Phil" and will star Daran Norris as the late "SNL" comedian and Emmy Award winner.
Although Priestley is best known for his acting, he has been directing since his days in "90210," even doing so on the show more than a few times; his work behind the camera has been mostly focused on the television, though aside from the upcoming Phil Hartman movie, other credits to his name on the big screen include "Cas & Dylan."
"Knowing I was a Canadian like him, Phil treated me differently. He was a hero of mine. Still is. I'm excited to tell his story," said Priestley in a news release, through CBC, as he said he'd met the "NewsRadio" star back in the 90s and "stayed in touch" with him.
Split Sider reports that the Phil Hartman movie biography was written by Jonas Chernick ("My Awkward Sexual Adventure") and it will be produced by Tyler Levine's production company, Carousel Pictures, with support from the Cogeco Fund as well as Telefilm Canada.
Producers are expecting to begin production on the Phil Hartman movie next summer.
