Johnny Depp in talks to star as Houdini in The Secret Life of Houdini

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

Johnny Depp might have to be fitted for a straitjacket soon. The actor is in talks to take on the title role in the long-awaited adaptation of authors William Kalush and Larry Sloman’s book "The Secret Life of Houdini: The Making of America's First Superhero". Said to be in the vein of Indiana Jones, the story follows the famous magician while he is investigating the world of the occult. Dean Parisot (GALAXY QUEST, RED 2) will helm the project which is set to begin production in November 2014.

Here is the books synopsis:

The Secret Life of Houdini traces the arc of the master magician’s life from desperate poverty to worldwide fame—his legacy later threatened by a group of fanatical Spiritualists led by esteemed British author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Initiating the reader along the way into the arcane world of professional magic, Kalush and Sloman decode a life based on deception, providing an intimate and riveting portrayal of Houdini, the man and the legend.

I was in the sixth grade when I picked up a Houdini biography and I have been fascinated ever since. This project is exciting and Depp would be a great for this role which seems to give itself a little more excitement for today's audience, something that was done with SHERLOCK HOLMES as well.

It's been said before, but Depp needs a hit bad; DARK SHADOWS, THE LONE RANGER, and TRANSCENDENCE left a bad taste with audiences and we're all waiting for his return to form. That could come soon as he's set to return to Wonderland in THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS which he will shoot next and then it's either the Houdini pic or PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN 5.

Do you want to see Depp as Houdini or Captain Jack Sparrow again?

The suspended straitjacket escape was one of his most famous stunts: