Any films out there about MAGICIANS?

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  • Any films out there about MAGICIANS?

    Can anybody recommend any movies where the main character was a magician? were there any?

    besides The Prestige and The Illusionist.
    One must be fearless and tenacious when pursuing their dreams. If you don't, regret will be your reward.

    The Fiction Story Room

  • #2
    Re: Any films out there about MAGICIANS?

    i like this thread. what about wizards/witches/warlocks?

    the great buck howard
    lord of illusions
    Originally posted by Great White Mark
    Film is art? Just a tip, it's called show business, not show art.

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    • #3
      Re: Any films out there about MAGICIANS?

      The Illusionist
      The Prestige

      Chandu the Magician (1932)
      The Escape Artist (1982)
      A-Haunting We Will Go (1942)
      Eternally Yours (1939)
      Fairy Tale (1997)
      The Geisha Boy (1958)
      Get to Know Your Rabbit (1972)
      Houdini (1953)
      Lady In Distress (1942)
      The Mad Magician (1954)
      The Magician of Lublin (1979)
      Mandrake the Magician (1939)
      The Mask of Dijon (1946)
      Miracles for Sale (1939)
      The Phantom of Paris (1931)
      Siren of Bagdad (1953)
      The Spider (1931)
      The Strange Mr. Gregory (1945)
      Terror Train (1980)
      Those Wonderful Movie Cranks (1978)
      Two on a Guillotine (1965)

      The majority of these have a magician as main character.

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      • #4
        Re: Any films out there about MAGICIANS?

        There are also a ton of scripts about magicians right now -- I can recall a couple magician comedies, a magician heist movie, two or three magician drama-thrillers (in the vein of The Prestige). It seems like everyone has a magician script in development.

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        • #5
          Re: Any films out there about MAGICIANS?

          There was also a Houdini film in 2007 - Death Defying Acts.

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          • #6
            Re: Any films out there about MAGICIANS?

            Is a SORCERER technically a magician?

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            • #7
              Re: Any films out there about MAGICIANS?

              thanks guys, keep them coming if you know of anymore. so it seems like The Illusionist and The Prestige have been the most popular or successful.

              Originally posted by LeadSolo View Post
              Is a SORCERER technically a magician?
              hmmm, i'm not sure, but i've always thought of a sorcerer or wizard as someone who actually has real powers versus a magician or illusionist who just uses tricks for performing purposes.

              Originally posted by jcgary View Post
              There are also a ton of scripts about magicians right now -- I can recall a couple magician comedies, a magician heist movie, two or three magician drama-thrillers (in the vein of The Prestige). It seems like everyone has a magician script in development.
              hey jcgary, how do you know this? did you read this in the trades or something or did someone in the industry tell you this?
              One must be fearless and tenacious when pursuing their dreams. If you don't, regret will be your reward.

              The Fiction Story Room

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              • #8
                Re: Any films out there about MAGICIANS?

                Originally posted by Juno Styles View Post
                hey jcgary, how do you know this? did you read this in the trades or something or did someone in the industry tell you this?
                How about this -- I'm in the industry, and I'm telling you.

                Delving into my files, I see 36 active projects involving magicians set in the present (so this eliminates Houdini biopics and fantasies).

                Some of my favorites:
                MANDRAKE by Oppenheimer & Donnelly
                MALLUSIONST (or SLOW DOWN, BOBBY GLITTER) by Pickering & Ricci
                ROULETTE by Robinson & Shorr
                and the best of all... THE NEW FOON by Corman & Ord

                The New Foon is a fantastic script. No, I can't get you a copy.


                I know there are plenty out there that I haven't read. Check all the black lists -- I can think of at least two magician scripts whose titles I can't recall right now that were on the black list in the last couple of years.

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                • #9
                  Re: Any films out there about MAGICIANS?

                  Originally posted by jcgary View Post
                  How about this -- I'm in the industry, and I'm telling you.

                  Delving into my files, I see 36 active projects involving magicians set in the present (so this eliminates Houdini biopics and fantasies).

                  Some of my favorites:
                  MANDRAKE by Oppenheimer & Donnelly
                  MALLUSIONST (or SLOW DOWN, BOBBY GLITTER) by Pickering & Ricci
                  ROULETTE by Robinson & Shorr
                  and the best of all... THE NEW FOON by Corman & Ord

                  The New Foon is a fantastic script. No, I can't get you a copy.


                  I know there are plenty out there that I haven't read. Check all the black lists -- I can think of at least two magician scripts whose titles I can't recall right now that were on the black list in the last couple of years.
                  well that's even better

                  can you clarify what you mean by "active projects"? are those 36 scripts just being shopped to studios or are they actually in production?

                  are you at liberty to say what genre the favorites you listed are in (New Foon, Mandrake, Mallusionist, Roulette)? particularly if they are in the vein of thriller/mystery?

                  is there an official website for the blacklist screenplays where i can find all the lists since 2004? i've found the list for 2008 blacklist screenplays but everything else seems to not be a complete list or broken links.

                  thanks a lot, just trying to avoid anything that's already been done.
                  One must be fearless and tenacious when pursuing their dreams. If you don't, regret will be your reward.

                  The Fiction Story Room

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: Any films out there about MAGICIANS?

                    When I say active, that's exactly what I mean -- they're maybe owned by a studio or production company, in development, written by big-time writers, have been recently spec'd, were open writing assignments, or any combination thereof. Which is to say -- THERE ARE A LOT OF MAGICIAN SCRIPTS OUT THERE. Excuse me for shouting. But I shout because it's true. If you want to write a magician script, it should be better than all those other ones. Like, really a lot better.

                    Mandrake and Roulette are both thriller/mysteries of sorts.

                    New Foon and Mallusionist are comedies, really really good comedies..

                    If you can't find a list and description of black list scripts, then you might not be looking hard enough. Or you might not be using google. Seriously, just google "black list 2009" and follow down the rabbit hole.

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                    • #11
                      Re: Any films out there about MAGICIANS?

                      Originally posted by Juno Styles View Post
                      thanks a lot, just trying to avoid anything that's already been done.
                      i think this makes you look like you're going about it all wrong. if you're truly believe you're a creative storyteller then you won't be doing anything that's already been done. ie - your magician is a woman and maybe she loses children in some disappearing act. who? some rich kid at his birthday party. why? she holds him for ransom or something. see what i mean?

                      aren't all the harry potter flicks about magicians or are they witches?

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                      • #12
                        Re: Any films out there about MAGICIANS?

                        There isn't a remake of the old Bill Bixby series, THE MAGICIAN, in development?

                        I'd be surprised given the success of The Mentalist on TV and the fact that they'll pretty much turn any old TV show into a movie, let alone one that'd actually work well as a movie.
                        Steven Palmer Peterson

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                        • #13
                          Re: Any films out there about MAGICIANS?

                          I don't know about scripts but try googling (or youtubeing) Derren Brown as a illusionist/hypnotist. This guy is brilliant
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                          Last edited by Southern_land; 05-13-2011, 07:05 AM.
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                          • #14
                            Re: Any films out there about MAGICIANS?

                            Originally posted by NikeeGoddess View Post
                            i think this makes you look like you're going about it all wrong. if you're truly believe you're a creative storyteller then you won't be doing anything that's already been done. ie - your magician is a woman and maybe she loses children in some disappearing act. who? some rich kid at his birthday party. why? she holds him for ransom or something. see what i mean?

                            aren't all the harry potter flicks about magicians or are they witches?
                            yep i get what you're saying but even with that similar concepts always surface no matter how original you think you're being. the screenplay for the movie Armored is a great example. you remember that thread, i'm sure none of those guys knew each other and still the concepts were pretty similar, just executed differently. there's no harm in doing a bit of research to see if what you've come up with has already been done. could save a lot of time in the long run or even give you ideas for a more original twist on the idea.

                            and yes the harry potter flicks are about witches/wizards, etc, they're using real magic, no props or tricks.
                            One must be fearless and tenacious when pursuing their dreams. If you don't, regret will be your reward.

                            The Fiction Story Room

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