Dueling projects in Hollywood is not a new thing, but this is an unusual one. Just two days ago I reported that Dreamworks had purchased J. Michael Straczynski’s original spec script VOICES FROM THE DEAD, a fictional account of the real friendship between Harry Houdini and “Sherlock Holmes” author Arthur Conan Doyle that would bring psychics and serial killers into the mix… Sounds unique enough, but now comes the news that Syfy is developing a t.v. show about nearly the same damn thing! What are the chances..?
“I guess there is something in the air about that whole time period and that very interesting relationship between Houdini and Doyle,” Syfy’s president of original programming Mark Stern told Deadline.com. No kidding. The channel is currently working on “Among the Spirits”, a drama series project about Houdini and Doyle solving mysteries in 1920s. The series will be based on the graphic novel of the same name by writers Steve Valentine and Paul Chart. (The graphic novel was itself inspired by Houdini’s book “A Magician Among the Spirits”.) The two will write the series – or the pilot – for Syfy.
Evidently the Syfy channel folks didn’t even know about the VOICES OF THE DEAD project until reading the news online. Must have taken some wind out of their sails, but that’s showbiz for you.
The comment section exists to allow readers to discuss the article constructively and respectfully, focused on the topic at hand.
What’s Not Allowed