Famous director and producer of the 1970s, Norman Jewison, once planned to make a film based on Canadian writer Mordecai Richler’s novel The Incomparable Atuk, but the project never materialised. Although he worked on it for 27 years, several unusual incidents forced him to eventually abandon the film. (News18 Hindi)
The story of the novel revolves around a young man who falls in love at first sight with a wealthy girl visiting Canada. He relentlessly pursues her, but fails to win her over. In the end, the man loses his mind and dies. According to reports, six actors who read the script of this film died under mysterious circumstances. The filmmakers eventually believed the script was cursed and decided to hide it. (News18 Hindi)
The script was finalised in 1979. Comedian and actor John Belushi was the first choice for the lead role. He was handed the script to read, but just a few days later, he died of a drug overdose in a hotel room. His sudden death raised many questions, but none were ever answered. (News18 Hindi)
Next, actor Sam Kinison was approached. In 1987, he was also given the script to read. Just a few days later, Sam died in a car accident. His wife, who was in the car with him, claimed that before dying, Sam kept repeating, “I don’t want to die,” as if he were speaking to an invisible force. Moments before his death, he quietly said, “Okay, okay, okay.” (News18 Hindi)
By now, people had started to believe that the script was cursed, though some dismissed it as a coincidence. Later, comedian John Candy was offered the lead role. In 1993, after reading the script, he agreed to do the film. However, not long after, John was also found dead in his hotel room under suspicious circumstances. (News18 Hindi)
The script had reportedly been given to John Candy by a man named Michael O’Donoghue, the same person who had handed the script to earlier actors. Michael himself had read the script several times. A few days after Candy’s death, O’Donoghue also died unexpectedly. (News18 Hindi)
At this point, many were convinced the story carried a curse. Even though the director made some changes to the script, tragedy continued. Actor Chris Farley was the next to receive the script. He, too, agreed to the role, but died shortly after. (News18 Hindi)
Finally, the script was offered to actor John Hartman. He accepted it after reading, but just a few days later, he too passed away under mysterious circumstances. After these repeated tragedies, the film project was permanently shelved. The original script was hidden in a secret location to ensure no one else fell victim to what many now believe is a cursed screenplay. (News18 Hindi)
