The late, great Garry Shandling, who left us nearly a year ago at the untimely age of 66, was apparently, before his death, closing in on what would’ve been an amazing TV show. The show, tentatively titled Halfway to Hawaii, would’ve been based on a series of journals the comedian and actor had kept since his early 20s.
The idea first came about a couple years ago, when Shandling was sitting down with British documentarians Paul Toogood (incredible name) and Lloyd Stanton for a movie about making it as a stand-up comic called Dying Laughing. The flick—which features Shandling, along with other legendary comedic names like Cedric the Entertainer, Neal Brennan, Jo Brand, Eddie Izzard, Jerry Seinfeld and Amy Schumer, among many others—is set to drop next Friday, the 24th. It is Shandling’s last appearance on film.
Apparently, while doing interviews for Dying Laughing, Shandling grew quite fond of the filmmakers, and the three of them came up with the idea of adapting his journals into a television series.
Per UPROXX:
Toogood and Stanton didn’t dive into the details of what Shandling’s television show would have ultimately become. It might have become one of Shandling’s most personal projects, considering the extensiveness of the journals. As Shandling explained in a 2010 GQ profile, the journals helped him determine “my path and how I’m growing and where I’m at.” And considering how often that path led him to Hawaii (with authors, talk show hosts and random passersby), Halfway To Hawaii‘s title makes perfect sense.
It’s a damn shame we’ll never get to see Halfway to Hawaii, although Judd Apatow, who inherited the journals in question, already has another Shandling tribute project in the works.
(h/t UPROXX)