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(#4) It Took Candy's Friend, Too
It's widely known that John Candy was in poor health when he passed. But what prompts many to credit the Atuk curse for his passing is that, just a few months later, Candy's friend and screenwriter Michael O'Donoghue was felled unexpectedly of a cerebral hemorrhage. O'Donoghue, according to various accounts, had either given the script to Candy or read it along with him.
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(#8) 'Atuk' Isn't The Only Cursed Screenplay
Chris Farley, John Candy, and John Belushi have something else in common: They were all considered for the role of Ignatius J. Reilly, the boisterous main character in A Confederacy of Dunces. The screenplay, adapted from John Kennedy Toole's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, has been in development since 1980. As in the case of Atuk, the project remains on the shelf.
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(#5) It Caused Chris Farley's Demise
Chris Farley was next in line for the role of Atuk. Apparently unfazed by whispers of a curse, Farley was vocal about his excitement for the script and some say he was on the verge of accepting the role before he passed in 1997. It was reminiscent of Belushi's demise, as an OD in Chicago's John Hancock Center claimed the funnyman's life.
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(#1) It Took Out John Belushi
Atuk was written with just one actor in mind: Saturday Night Live, Animal House, and Blues Brothers star John Belushi. Belushi was apparently quite taken with the role. This must've been exciting for producer Norman Jewison, who'd been looking for a star with the clout of Belushi for nearly 10 years.
Just a few months later, however, Belushi was found dead at the Chateau Marmont Hotel in Hollywood. His passing was initially ruled an accidental overdose, though his friend Catherine Evelyn Smith was eventually charged in the incident.
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(#7) The Screenplay Carries A Book Curse
When discussing the Atuk phenomenon, some reference "book curses." Popular in medieval times, book curses inflicted utter ruin on anyone who stole an important tome or document from its intended owner.
Considering John Belushi, the ostensible "original owner" of Atuk, passed before making the film, could the curse of Atuk be a book curse? The role was written specifically for him, after all.
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(#3) It Gave John Candy Heart Issues
In 1994, just two years after the passing of Kinison, character actor extraordinaire John Candy was approached to take the lead in Atuk. Candy apparently expressed interest, but a heart attack claimed his life before he could make a decision.
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In fact, Atuk is the name of an unfilmed American film screenplay and based on the novel The Incomparable Atuk in 1963, by Canadian author Mordecai Richler. Over the years, many Hollywood film studios have shown interest in this film, but it remains unfilled. There are some rumors claim that a curse has killed all the actors who have shown in the movie.
It has become one of the most infamous unproduced screenplays. The random tool generated 8 items, including facts and theories about Atuk, a cursed script that killed every actor attached. Do you have an interest if the movie released?
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