Summit Uncovers The Secret Life of Houdini

[Hunter Rider]

http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=54038

Source: The Hollywood Reporter
March 27, 2009


Summit Entertainment has bought The Secret Life of Houdini: The Making of America's First Superhero, picking up feature-film rights to the biography by William Kalush and Larry Sloman.

The comprehensive novel, published in 2006 by Atria Books, became known for insinuating that Harry Houdini acted as a spy for Britain and was asked to be an adviser to Czar Nicholas II's court in prerevolutionary Russia. The book also portrayed the master escape artist and magician as a debunker of con artists who pretended to be spiritualists, leading to the controversial theory that Houdini's death was caused by the spiritual movement as payback.

The studio is not looking to make a biopic but rather an action thriller featuring a character who is part Indiana Jones and part Sherlock Holmes. Summit hopes to cash in on worldwide recognition of Houdini's name while potentially launching a franchise.

The studio is looking for writers to adapt the book.

Great potential here for a cool period spy flick.

 

[Eggyman]

Very interesting. I'm going to keep an eye on this one. It's always strange when this happens: I was in Waterstones the other day and spotted the book.

 

[ttotheusher]

Sounds like a great concept. I love period films that use real people and events as a springboard for a more fantastical story.

 

[bullets]

I've been hoping for a Houdini biopic but this will do , sounds like it could be good. I hope they play this off as a true story.

 

[ttotheusher]

I've been hoping for a Houdini biopic but this will do , sounds like it could be good. I hope they play this off as a true story.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_Defying_Acts

This is pretty close, if a little innaccurate.

 

[bullets]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_Defying_Acts

This is pretty close, if a little innaccurate.

I'll have to check that out .

 

[SuperBatman]

It seems like Summit is becoming the Next Major Studio. I mean with the Twlight Franchise and the Knowing doing pretty well and looking to get more films under its belt.

 

[gwynplaine]

Cool, maybe this will help the Mandrake the magician movie.

 

[:eek:]

Johnny Depp In Talks To Play Houdini

By Garth Franklin Tuesday May 27th 2014 04:33PM
Johnny Depp is in negotiations to star as famed magician Harry Houdini in Dean Parisot's "The Secret Life of Houdini" for Lionsgate/Summit.
An adaptation of William Kalush and Larry Sloman's book "The Secret Life of Houdini: The Making of America's First Superhero," the story reimagines Houdini as not just a master escape artist but an investigator of the world of the occult.
Noah Oppenheim wrote the screenplay and filming is slated to begin in November which would indicate a fifth "Pirates of the Caribbean" film might be pushed back until early 2015.
Christi Dembrowski, Frank Marshall and Bruce Cohen will produce.
Source: THR

 

[Hyde]

Ehhh...

 

[terry78]

http://www.comingsoon.net/movies/ne...-lanes-dan-trachtenberg-to-make-houdini-movie

Dan Trachtenberg is helming it for Lionsgate.

 

[Octoberist]

I'm very happy for Dan.

 

[Kane52630]

It was said when the project was first announced that the studio is not looking to make a biopic but rather an action thriller likened in tone to Lucasfilm’s Indiana Jones franchise.

That could go either way, but I trust Dan Trachtenberg.