Trend followed by zombies and vampires are no doubt magician-themed films; more precisely, Harry Houdini who, by himself, made a number of movies, but quit acting when it failed to bring in money.
We’ve already had word of two projects to center on the famed illusionist and escape artist: an Indiana Jones-like adaptation of the book The Secret Life of Houdini: America’s First Superhero, an actioner that Gary Ross was up for back in May, and the more traditional Houdini biopic, which I Am Legend director Francis Lawrence has been prepping for a bit of time.
A new Harry Houdini film project on our radar has been in development since 2006, with Brett Merryman writing the initial screenplay; Josh Klausner also worked on it over the years. Now Walden Media have hired Chuck co-creator Chris Fedak to write it.
The film, which Mark Waters is set to direct, reportedly ‘centers on an unsuspecting high schooler who finds himself in grave danger when he discovers a family secret leading back to the legendary illusionist. Using clues left through the centuries, he must race to uncover the greatest magical secret known to man.’
You could say I’m wrong, but with Waters attached to direct it will end up being something kids enjoy more than adults. He’s known for directing movies like Mean Girls and Freaky Friday, and most recently Mr. Popper’s Penguins, which I try hard not to think about.
On the other hand, Chris Fedak never fails to fight mediocrity. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see how this turns out.
Source: Geek Tyrant
