Why these CARTER BEATS THE DEVIL stories only break in June is beyond me, but here’s our third article on the project in as many years…
THR has it that 21 JUMP STREET directors Chris Miller and Phil Lord are in talks to adapt CARTER BEATS THE DEVIL to the big-screen. At last blush, Johnny Depp was being courted for the titular lead, but that was a year ago, so it seems unlikely now.
Adapted by Michael Gilio:
This novel is a fictionalized biography of Charles Joseph Carter. The main character, Carter, is followed through his career, from his first encounter with magic to his last performance. Along the way he encounters many historical figures, including fellow magicians Harry Houdini and Howard Thurston, United States President Warren G. Harding, BMW founder Max Friz, the Marx Brothers, business magnate Francis Marion “Borax” Smith, the inventor of electronic television Philo Farnsworth, and San Franciscan madams Tessie Wall and Jessie Hayman.
Most of the novel centers on the mysterious death of President Harding, who dies shortly after taking part in Carter’s stage show. President Harding apparently knew of many serious scandals that seemed likely to bring down the establishment and it seems certain that he was assassinated by persons and methods unknown. Much of Carter’s past is shown in the form of flashbacks as U.S. Secret Service Agent Griffin investigates the magician as a suspect. Along the way Carter meets a young blind woman with a mysterious past and encounters a deadly rival.
You see 21 JUMP STREET? Are Lord and Miller a good fit for CARTER? Who should star?
21 JUMP STREET star Brie Larson