Sam Raimi and Roy Lee are joining forces with Lionsgate to weave a spell of horror magic anew. Lionsgate is in the throes of crafting a remake of the cult classic horror film "Magic," originally released in 1978 and starring Anthony Hopkins as a mentally unstable ventriloquist. At the helm of this reimagined tale will be Sam Raimi, the genius behind the "Evil Dead" saga, and Roy Lee, the prolific horror maestro who delivered the summer smash hit "Weapons."
Scripting duties will fall to seasoned writers Mark Swift and Damian Shannon, whose credits include "Freddy vs. Jason" and the "Friday the 13th" remake. In the original "Magic," Hopkins portrayed Corky, a magician whose fame soared alongside his wisecracking dummy, Fats. Confronted with the opportunity to sign a network deal for his own show but haunted by the fear of exposing his fragile psyche, Corky flees to the Catskills, seeking to rekindle a high school romance even as Fats begins to murderously seize control.
The film, also starring Ann-Margret and Burgess Meredith, was directed by Richard Attenborough and penned by William Goldman, based on his novel. Prior to its release by 20th Century Fox, the movie generated buzz with a TV ad solely focusing on the dummy's face, ominously declaring, "Magic is fun, we’re dead."
Chris Hammond and Tim Sullivan, who have long been champions of this project and have steered its development, will produce alongside Raimi and Lee. Zainab Azizi of Raimi Productions will also lend her producing prowess. Executive producers include Paul Fishkin and Andrew Childs of Vertigo.
Lionsgate, Hammond, and Sullivan spent considerable time tracking down and assembling the rights holders and surviving producers of the original film to pave the way for this reimagining. Sullivan, a lifelong admirer of the original, has been with the remake since its inception. Hammond, who produced the 2003 crime film "Shade" starring Jamie Foxx and Sylvester Stallone, is currently producing "Reykjavik" with Jeff Daniels, Jared Harris, and J.K. Simmons. Sullivan, described as a veteran film enthusiast, has worked tirelessly for years to bring Goldman's story back to the silver screen.
Lee, who produced Zach Cregger's "Weapons," which dominated the August box office with over $236.7 million worldwide on a $40 million budget, recently boarded Lionsgate's adaptation of Stephen King's "The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon" and has the company's King adaptation "The Long Walk" set to hit theaters on September 12.
Raimi's next cinematic endeavor is "Send Help," a survival horror thriller from 20th Century Studios starring Rachel McAdams and Dylan O'Brien, written by Swift and Shannon. Raimi is represented by CAA and Hansen Jacobson, while Swift and Shannon are represented by UTA and McKuin Frankel.
This collaboration promises to breathe new life into a horror classic, delivering thrills and chills with a fresh perspective.
