One of my favorite books to be released in the last ten years is Glen David Gold’s Carter Beats the Devil. It’s one of those pseudo-historical works of fiction that finds real life magician Charles Joseph Carter (Carter the Great) wrapped up in the murder of Warren G. Harding, the invention of television, and a rival that wants nothing less than Carter’s defeat. If you haven’t read the book, it’s a great time to dig up a copy and enjoy the exploits. This is especially true now that Warner Bros. has reacquired the rights to the book that was once in pre-production at Paramount before it descended into Pre-Pro-Hell (PPH, not to be confused with the PCH, although once you’ve driven Highway 1 in L.A. at rush hour, the two are pretty much the same).
This time writer Michael Gilio will write the script with Jon Shestack, Ginny Brewer, and Jeremy Stein producing. The only thing that makes me wonder if Carter will beat Pre-Pro Hell this time is the fact that we’ve already had two period magician movies come out in the last couple of years that didn’t come on like gangbusters, even though they ere acclaimed.