Ever since Glen David Gold’s novel Carter Beats The Devil was published in 2001 there’s been talk of turning it into a film, although it’s only in the last couple of years there’s been major movement on this front. Now 21 Jump Street directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller are in talks to helm the film for Warner Bros, according to THR.
The story is based on a real-life magician named Carter the Great, a popular illusionist in the 1920s. The story sees Carter performing a trick for President Warren G. Harding, but when the Commander-in-Chief is found dead, the magician must go on the run to clear his name. The story also features real-life figures such as TV inventor Philo T. Farnsworth, Harry Houdini, and The Marx Brothers.
The novel was originally set up at Paramount back in 2002, with Tom Cruise was attached to play the title character. There’s no news on when this latest attempt to mount the movie might shoot.