Carter Beats The Devil is a fantastic book by Glen David Gold. It tells the fictionalized tale of real life stage Magician Charles Carter aka Carter the Great.
Charles Joseph Carter (June 14, 1874 – February 13, 1936) was an American stage magician, also known as Carter the Great. A native of San Francisco, California, Carter began his career as a journalist and lawyer. As time passed, he grew an interest in magic. Due to stiff competition from the number of magic acts on the American stages at the time, Carter opted to pursue his career abroad, where he achieved his greatest fame. Among the highlights of Carter’s stage performances during his career were the classic “sawing a woman in half” illusion (an elaborate surgical-themed version with “nurses” in attendance), making a live elephant disappear and “cheating the gallows”, where a shrouded Carter would vanish, just as he dropped at the end of a hangman’s noose – Wiki
I read it recently and loved it. Adventure, famous faces and stage magic all mixed in to tell a cracking pulp tale.
The film adaptation has been in development hell for a while. Warner Bros. would like to get it back on track and, according to the LA Times, they would like Johnny Depp as Carter.
A new version of the script has been completed and turned in to the studio, the people said, and Warner Bros. has put Johnny Depp atop the list of actors it wants to play Carter. (From Willy Wonka to Jack Sparrow, Depp has a history of playing eccentric showmen.) Warner Bros is also seeking directors and has put the word out to the major Hollywood agencies that it’s looking to fill the position, said agents at three of the largest Hollywood agencies. A Warner Bros. spokeswoman did not immediately have a comment.
I would be happy to see Depp as Carter. The main thing is getting the right director to get the whole look and feel of it right.
For some reason Joe Johnston popped into my head but who would you like to see direct Carter the Great on the big screen?
