Casting Call: The Secret Life of Houdini

It’s no surprise that the life of  the world’s greatest magician, Harry Houdini, is riddled with secrets. It is surprising, though, that a blockbuster film about him doesn’t exist—yet. According to Deadline, Summit Entertainment may finally be in the works with director Dean Parisot to adapt the book The Secret Life of Houdini: The Making of America’s First Superhero into a biopic that portrays Houdini as a mysterious action/adventure hero. Houdini’s dramatic career in magic started slowly and humbly with sideshows and circuses. He got a job performing on Coney Island with his brother Dash and eventually his wife, Bess, who replaced Dash. His unbelievable ability to escape chains, handcuffs, and even prisons soon gained him worldwide fame, his most notable escape act being the Chinese Water Torture Cell. In addition to his tricks, Houdini was allegedly a secret spy and fanatical spiritualist and often threatened others with his talents (like Mina Crandon, his nemesis, who claimed to speak with the dead). He also managed to pull a few mistresses out of his hat. Scroll through the slideshow to see who we think should play Houdini’s many enemies, sidekicks, and seductresses.

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