Academy Award winner Ben Affleck is attached to star in Disney’s Houdini film based on the novel, The Secret Life of Houdini: The Making of America’s First Superhero. The new film will chronicle the life and times of the acclaimed magician and escape artist, who passed away in 1926 at the age of 52. The project has been in development for at least 4 years, with Dan Trachtenberg onboard to direct.
It’s hardly surprising that Disney would be interested in getting a Houdini biopic off the ground; the famed magician has had little in the way of big-screen recognition over the years, despite being one of the most famous and widely recognized illusionists of all time. Born in Hungary in 1874 as Erik Weisz, it wasn’t until years later when he became a professional magician in America that Weisz started to go by the stage name Harry Houdini. Weisz reportedly made the change after reading French magician Jean-Eugene Robert-Houdin’s autobiography in 1890. Known for stunning acts of escape that included everything from handcuffs to straitjackets to the belly of a whale that had washed ashore in Boston, Houdini’s popularity even led to him starring in several silent films.
While the biopic has been slow to get off the ground since being announced, it looks as though Disney has made at least one big move, with Affleck now officially attached. The news comes courtesy of /Film, who report that although Affleck’s involvement is exciting, he isn’t presently being considered to play the role of Houdini. Apparently, the Justice League star will instead appear in the Houdini biopic as “a supporting character who is some kind of agent.” At present, there isn’t any further speculation as to what this could mean.
However, it is known that Houdini’s manager played a major role in getting him to tour Europe as a magician, and his British agent, Harry Day, was also an important factor in making the illusionist a high paid star. It’s possible that Affleck could be set to take on one of these roles, but again, this is little more than conjecture at this point. The book that the film will be based on offers up the peculiar opinion that Houdini was murdered by spiritualists. Throughout his career, Houdini made it clear that he was not a fan of the philosophy, often working to debunk spiritualist claims and scams. It’s arguable that Disney could want Affleck in a more villainous role and have him appear as an agent working on behalf of a spiritualist group or sect.
Whatever role that Affleck does end up playing in the new Houdini film, the project has significantly built up its stature by landing the star. Films about magicians aren’t particularly common, though the few that have arrived over the years have fared well. Given that this film will be about arguably the greatest magician of all time, there’s a good chance that Affleck may be part of something that can both delight audiences and vie for awards recognition.
Source: /Film
from ScreenRant - Feed https://ift.tt/2WeUFID
0 Comments