The Untitled John Belushi Project is coming back to life once again, with Steve Conrad on board to direct and actors such as Joaquin Phoenix, Emile Hirsch and Workaholics' Adam DeVine in contention to star as the late comedian.

We first reported on this project back in August 2010, when Warner Bros. and director Todd Phillips were developing the project with screenwriter Steve Conrad. Warner Bros. and Todd Phillips have since departed the project, with Steve Conrad now directing from his own script as an independent feature.

The director has already met with Emile Hirsch and Adam DeVine, with Joaquin Phoenix also being mentioned as a contender. Nelson Franklin (Jobs, Argo) has also met with the filmmaker to play John Belushi's best friend and The Blues Brothers co-star Dan Aykroyd.

Joaquin Phoenix has the right look to portray a young John BelushiThe film will reportedly bet set at the height of John Belushi's fame, focusing on the man who embodied the highs and lows of the American dream, before he died at the age of 33 from a drug overdose at the Chateau Marmont hotel in 1982. Unlike the 1989 adaptation Wired, which starred Michael Chiklis and was reportedly boycotted by the comedian's family, this project is shaping up to be much different. John Belushi's widow, Judith Belushi-Pisano, is serving as executive producer along with Dan Aykroyd. Alexandra Milchan, Bonnie Timmermann and Scott Lambert are producing. Production is scheduled to start next spring in New York.