Sam Raimi will direct a modern remake of “Magic” for Lionsgate, the studio announced Friday, reuniting him with the writing team behind his recent box office hit “Send Help” for what promises to be one of the more anticipated horror productions in development.
Raimi steps up from his previously announced role as producer on the project to take the director’s chair, tackling William Goldman’s 1976 novel about a mentally fractured ventriloquist whose malicious dummy, Fats, seizes control of his mind and actions. The script comes from Mark Swift and Damian Shannon, who wrote “Send Help” for Raimi and previously penned “Freddy vs. Jason” and the 2009 “Friday the 13th” remake — making them seasoned hands at reviving legacy horror properties. Swift and Shannon responded to the news on social media, writing that the new take is “gonna be insane.”
The original 1978 film, directed by Richard Attenborough, starred Anthony Hopkins as Corky, a struggling performer whose ventriloquist act transforms him into a celebrity before his grip on reality collapses entirely. Hopkins’ performance, widely regarded as a career-defining piece of work, predated his Oscar-winning role in “The Silence of the Lambs” and established him as one of cinema’s most unsettling presences.
Raimi was already attached to produce alongside Roy Lee, whose credits include “It,” as well as Chris Hammond and Tim Sullivan, who spent years tracking down the original rights and guiding the project through development. Lionsgate’s Meredith Wieck and Pavan Kalidindi oversee the film for the studio.
Adam Fogelson, chair of Lionsgate’s Motion Picture Group, called Raimi’s attachment “one of the truly great matches of director and material” and said the studio is “absolutely thrilled” he chose the project. The endorsement carries weight — “Magic” is a film that demands a filmmaker comfortable with psychological dread and dark comedy simultaneously, both Raimi hallmarks.
“Send Help,” starring Rachel McAdams and Dylan O’Brien, topped the domestic box office for two consecutive weeks earlier this year and earned approximately $100 million worldwide — its success clearly accelerating Raimi’s appetite for more genre work. The Evil Dead creator had spent several years making large-scale studio films, including “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” in 2022, before “Send Help” marked his return to the horror-thriller space that defined his reputation. No release date for “Magic” has been announced.
