Lionsgate eyes a November 2014 start on the production, no word on the release date yet

May 28, 2014 19:25 GMT  ·  By
Johnny Depp is in talks for “The Secret Life of Houdini: The Making of America’s First Superhero”
   Johnny Depp is in talks for “The Secret Life of Houdini: The Making of America’s First Superhero”

One of the complaints critics often lodge against Johnny Depp is that, for the past several years, he’s become too accustomed to hiding behind a mask (i.e. crazy makeup and costumes, most of the times) that he’s not even putting in an honest effort to deliver solid performances anymore.

Whether you agree with that or not, there’s no denying that, despite a series of lukewarm releases (“Lone Ranger” and the more recent “Transcendence”), Depp remains very much in demand.

In fact, he continues to be so hot that his schedule is jam-packed for at least a couple of more years: in between shooting the biopic “Black Mass” (Depp plays mob boss James “Whitey” Bulger) and getting ready to reprise his roles in “Pirates of the Caribbean 5” and “Alice in Wonderland 2,” he’s also in talks to play Harry Houdini.

Unlike “Black Mass,” this won’t be a biopic, THR notes: “The actor is in negotiations to star as famed magician Harry Houdini in The Secret Life of Houdini: The Making of America's First Superhero for Lionsgate's Summit label. Dean Parisot (Red 2) is directing. The story, which is said to be in the vein of Indiana Jones, recasts Houdini as not just a master escape artist but an investigator of the world of the occult.”

The film is based on a script by Noah Oppenheim, which, in turn, is based on a novel by Larry Sloman and William Kalush. Lionsgate will handle distribution through Summit Entertainment, and it’s eyeing a November 2014 start on the production.

This would mean pushing back the start date of “Pirates 5” by many good months, into early 2015, the trade publication says.