EXCLUSIVE: Harry Houdini was well known for his disappearing acts, but now the master escape artist and illusionist is set to make a big screen appearance for Walt Disney Studios.
Scott Sanders and Danny Strong are on board to produce Becoming Houdini, a spy thriller movie based on the life of the legend himself . Beginning with the young Erik Weisz’s (Houdini’s real name) journey to fame and long lasting fascination, the project from The Color Purple and Dopesick producers is set to be written by John Wick Chapter 4 and The Three Musketeers scribes Michael Finch and Alex Litvak.
At the height of his renowned both on stage and in the emerging world of cinema, Houdini died suddenly and under sketchy circumstances from peritonitis at the age of 52 on Halloween 1926. However, while one of the most famous people on the planet in the Jazz Age, the early years of the Hungarian-born Weisz’s life has long been clocked in some mystery.
With all the action, upmarket locations and drama that the creators’ respective pedigrees imply, that origin story of sorts, and the rumors of Houdini’s undercover work for his adopted homes of Britain and America will be the heat of Becoming Houdini, I hear.
I also hear that no one has been cast yet for the lead role, but that’s another story for another day.
(L-R) Scott Sanders and Danny Strong
Getty/Courtesy
Along with Strong and Sanders, Becoming Houdini be produced by Mara Jacobs (In The Heights) for Sanders’ production company SGS Pictures. Serving as executive producers will be Oren Aviv (National Treasure) and Mandy Safavi (Dopesick). Jessica Virtue will oversee the film for Walt Disney Studios.
Scott Sanders is repped by UTA, Erik Hyman at Paul Hastings LLP, and ID. Empire co-creator Danny Strong is represented by CAA, Alan Wertheimer, and Slate PR.