Summary

• Horror author Stephen King originally wanted John Candy for the lead role in the adaptation of Thinner, one of his novels.
• Candy's comedic talent and potential for a dramatic role made him an interesting choice for the film.
• Despite reaching out to Candy's representatives, the casting did not work out, and the movie ended up being a failure regardless.

A producer on one of the worst Stephen King adaptations reveals the horror author originally wanted John Candy for the lead. The world lost a comedy legend when Candy ed away in 1994 at the age of just 43. After an early string of memorable ing roles, one-time SCTV mainstay Candy became a lead with 1985’s Summer Rental, going on to star in numerous classic comedies, including Spaceballs, Planes, Trains and Automobiles, The Great Outdoors and Uncle Buck.

Comedy was indeed Candy’s specialty throughout his career, but a producer on the maligned King adaptation Thinner reveals that horror would have been on his resume as well, had King himself gotten his way. On the Blu-ray commentary for the new Shout! Factory Thinner Collector’s Edition, Mitchell Galin discusses King’s wild idea of casting the famously large Candy in the lead role of Billy Halleck, an overweight man who begins terrifyingly shedding pounds after being cursed. Check out what Galin said below (via CinemaBlend):

"We did reach out to [John] Candy’s people. Steve’s comment was like, ‘We’ll pay him a nice chunk of money, and we’ll save his life.’ (laughs) And for whatever reason – Candy was either busy, or he didn’t spark to [the material]… I really have no idea. At some point, you put it out there, if it doesn’t get the response you want, at the end of the day, I really don’t care. Unless it’s something needful, a person that can help you in the process of moving forward."

Candy Might Have Been Great In Thinner, But King’s Weight Loss Stunt Would Not Have Worked

Candy Proved In His Comedies He Could Handle Emotional Scenes

Candy’s tragically shortened career afforded him very few opportunities to appear in straight dramas, but he did deliver some memorably emotional moments in his comedies. Planes, Trains and Automobiles may have given Candy his most affecting on-screen scenes, and it’s arguable that, in that film, his dramatic chops are as much on display as his comedic talents.

It would have been interesting to see Candy in a horror movie, one that required him to go on a truly harrowing journey. But while the star had the acting talent to pull off the role of Billy in Thinner, King’s idea to have him lose weight during the production would not have worked. By the story’s end, Billy is not just thin but horrifyingly emaciated. Candy would have needed to lose a frightening amount of weight to convincingly play the character, as he was 6'2" and weighed over 300lbs when he died, while the character weighed 120lbs at his thinnest. To aim for this would mean Candy would have had to lose somewhere in the region of 150lbs during filming, which (even if it had been possible) would have been incredibly unhealthy for the actor.

Thinner was released in 1996, two years after Candy's death, with Robert John Burke as Billy.

Whether King was truly serious in wanting to cast Candy is hard to say, but it seems producers did believe the author meant what he said, and tried reaching out to the star, with no success. Thinner turned out to be a terrible movie regardless, and it’s unlikely that Candy, thin or not, could have saved it.

Why Thinner Doesn't Work As A Movie

1996's Thinner Has Just A 16% Rating On Rotten Tomatoes

Though King’s book does offer up a fruitful premise for a body horror film, executing that premise proved to be a challenge for filmmakers. Star Burke had to wear a fat suit for the scenes where he is meant to be obese, and more prosthetic makeup when he is supposed to be frighteningly emaciated. Unfortunately, Burke’s performance from underneath all that makeup and bodily padding is not up to the task.

Body horror is a tricky thing to pull off at any time, which is why there are so few truly classic films in the genre. It’s easy to lose an audience either by repelling them, or by allowing a film to slide into unintentional comedy. Thinner, as directed by Tom Holland, falls into the latter category. A more skillful director might have wrung satirical humor from the movie’s situation, or at least followed through on its gruesome premise of a curse ruining a man's life, but Holland succeeded at neither. As long as bad King adaptations continue to be discussed, Thinner will continue to rank high on the list.

Source: CinemaBlend