Richard Attenborough’s 1978 film “Magic” is a beloved, underrated gem among genre fans. Roy Lee (producer on “Weapons”) and horror legend Sam Raimi (creator of “Evil Dead”) want to breathe new life into this creepy classic. Lionsgate is currently developing a remake of the movie with the duo set to produce.
The script is being handled by Mark Swift and Damian Shannon. The same team behind the “Friday the 13th” remake and “Freddy vs. Jason.”
“Magic” is based on a novel by William Goldman, who also wrote the script for the original film, starring Sir Anthony Hopkins, Ann-Margaret, and Burgess Meredith. The film mostly centers around Corky (Hopkins), a magician/ventriloquist suffering from some serious mental illness. He starts to believe that his ventriloquist’s dummy, Fats, is speaking to him. When Corky is made an offer for his own network show, he panics that everyone will find out he has lost touch with reality.
So he heads to a remote area in the Catskills and spends time trying to rekindle an old flame. Corky’s attention being split causes Fats to fly into a rage with horrific consequences.
Chris Hammond and Tim Sullivan, who have been developing this project for a while, will produce with Raimi and Lee.
We’ll keep you posted on updates about the “Magic” remake as the project develops. The original film is currently available on Amazon Prime, The Roku Channel, Tubi, Plex, and Kanopy.
