Late last year, Sam Raimi signed on to produce a modern version of the 1978 film Magic for Lionsgate. It’s now been confirmed that we will also direct from a script by Send Help scribes, Mark Swift and Damian Shannon.
Magic is based on a novel by William Goldman, who also wrote the script for the first film adaptation. The story centers around Corky (Sir Anthony 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 from high school. Corky’s attention being split causes Fats to fly into a rage with horrific consequences. The film also stars Ann-Margaret and Burgess Meredith.
Chris Hammond and Tim Sullivan, who have been developing this project for a while, will produce the modern adaptation. Alongside Raimi, Roy Lee, and Raimi Productions’ Zainab Azizi. Nathan Kahane and Paul Fishkin will executive produce with Andrew Childs for Vertigo. Meredith Wieck and Pavan Kalidindi will oversee the project for Lionsgate.
“His coming aboard represents one of the truly great matches of director and material,” said Adam Fogelson Lionsgate’s motion picture group chair about Raimi.
We’ll keep you posted on updates about the Magic modern adaptation as the project develops.
