Exactly a year and one week ago we let you know Warner Bros. had assigned Michael Grillo (TREASURE ISLAND) to adapt the magic-and-murder show CARTER BEATS THE DEVIL. Now, according to the L.A. Times, the studio is courting Johnny Depp for the titular lead. You think he’ll he bite?!?
CARTER AND THE DEVIL is a project that’s been eyed for big-screen adaptation for nearly a decade now. Tom Cruise and his producing partner Paula Wagner bought the rights to the Glen David Gold novel back in 2002, with plans to produce and star. When things fell by the wayside, the film dropped into turnaround. Now, Warner’s pulling the rabbit out of the hat.
Directors are currently being sought after for the project, which is said to have a new version of the script. No word if a new writer came aboard or if it’s Grillo’s script they’ll be using.
Here’s what the script is based on:
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.
So, can you see Depp donning the cape and top-hat or what? Wait, isn’t that what homey wears normally?
Depp’s PIRATES 4 co-star Penelope Cruz