The star-studded magician heist films, Now You See Me, has tapped Zombieland director Ruben Fleischer and is now joined by writer Michael Lesslie.
The Now You See Me films brought a new twist on the heist movie concept by making the team a group of magicians who were able to use their sleight-of-hand expertise in their plans. Though the films haven’t broken the box office, they have become a humbly successful franchise from Lionsgate, and both movies have been able to showcase an incredible ensemble cast. The director of action films such as this summer’s Fast X, Louis Leterrier, helmed both movies and brought a certain amount of fun with some of the more outrageous logic. However, Ruben Fleischer, who directed the movie’s stars Woody Harrelson and Jesse Eisenberg in the Zombieland movies, will be stepping in the director’s position for the third entry.
According to Screen Daily, Lionsgate International will be launching American Film Market sales this week for Now You See Me 3 as well as a number of other projects under their banner. It was previously reported last year that Seth Grahame-Smith is penning the script for the third installment, but it is now said that Assassin’s Creed and Macbeth scribe, Michael Lesslie, will be writing the current draft of the screenplay. Alex Kurtzman and Bobby Cohen are on board as producers and the previous entries’ stars, Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson and Morgan Freeman, are set to reprise their roles.
In a statement, Fleischer said, “There are three things in this world I absolutely love… Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson and magic. To have the chance to work with these two talented actors, as well as rest of the incredible cast of the Now You See Me movies is a dream come true. I am a lifelong fan of heist movies – I love getting drawn in by the twists and the mystery where nothing is what it seems. And that’s even more true when the thieves are magicians – the opportunities are endless. [Eric Warren Singer, the original screenwriter] was able to unlock a fresh and exciting way into a new movie and fun new characters, so I’m excited to dig in even further.” The previous two movies haven’t skimped on the star talent, with Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Isla Fisher, Dave Franco, Lizzy Caplan, Mark Ruffalo, Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine, Daniel Radcliffe and more putting in appearances. The magic-centric heist films would garner slightly divisive reactions from both critics and audiences, but the two Now You See Me movies have grossed close to $700 million worldwide.
Originally published at https://www.joblo.com/now-you-see-me-3-lionsgate-afm-sale-new-writer/
