Sam Raimi to Direct Lionsgate Remake of William Goldman’s Magic

Sam Raimi has signed on to direct Lionsgate’s modern adaptation of William Goldman’s novel Magic, a psychological horror story that was previously made into a 1978 film starring Anthony Hopkins. The project marks Raimi’s move from producing to steering the film himself, building on a team already attached to develop the remake, including producers Roy Lee and Zainab Azizi and writers Mark Swift and Damian Shannon.

In the original story, Hopkins plays Corky, a magician whose act becomes inseparable from his ventriloquist dummy, Fats. As Corky’s fame grows, his mental state deteriorates and he begins to act as though the puppet has taken control, while he also tries to reconnect with a former romance. The 1978 movie was directed by Richard Attenborough and written by Goldman, who based it on his own novel. It also starred Ann-Margret and Burgess Meredith.

Raimi will direct the remake from a script by Swift and Shannon, who also have a prior working relationship with Raimi and Azizi on Send Help. Raimi’s production banner, Raimi Productions, is involved in the film, alongside producing roles for Lee, Chris Hammond and Tim Sullivan. Executive production will be handled by Nathan...