The Great Outdoors may not have made a ton of money when it was released back in 1988, and critics weren’t exactly kind to the vacation comedy, but the powerhouse duo of lead actors has turned the film into a beloved cult classic as the years have gone one. Dan Aykroyd and John Candy were at the top of their games when the movie was released, and audiences continue to look back fondly at two comedy legends going toe-to-toe in the Wisconsin wilderness. Candy and writer/producer John Hughes are sadly no longer with us, but it does look as though we’re finally going to see the Great Outdoors sequel that so many have asked about over the years.
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As it turns out, Aykroyd and director Howie Deutch have actually been working together on bringing a Great Outdoors sequel to life. While speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, Aykroyd said that the project is definitely in the works and that he’s currently working on finding a “Candy figure” to join him.
“Howie Deutch was a really fun director on the picture,” Aykroyd said. “He loved handling Candy and me. Howie and I are working on the sequel, called The Great Outlaws. I am looking for the Candy figure. There are some really interesting names, but I can’t say who. Howie and I are tickled to bring back Roman as a Ponzi scheme guy who victimizes a federal agent. Who knows? If I find the right partner…”
There is no replacing John Candy, one of the seminal screen comedians of the ’80s and ’90s, but Aykroyd clearly has a plan that could make use of another comedian’s talents and provide his character with another good sparring partner.ย
During the same interview, Aykroyd was asked about any specific memories of John Candy, and he thought back to a time when they were both working on a Second City sketch.
“I remember this one night in Second City Toronto, we were doing this sketch where Dave [Thomas] and I were these two cops, and we were trying to arrest Candy, who was being disorderly,” Aykroyd recalled. “And he scooped me up and put me on one shoulder and whipped around and put Dave on the other shoulder and he whirled us around the room. He was very strong.”
There are no concrete details on Aykroyd and Deutch’s potential Great Outdoors sequel just yet, but it sounds like the duo have things moving in the right direction.
