Sam Raimi Is Apparently Set To Direct A Remake Of A Classic Psychological Thriller

Sam Raimi is an icon when it comes to creating visually original, heart-pounding films. From turning Doctor Strange's world into an eerie visual nightmare in "Doctor Strange In: The Multiverse of Madness" to turning the "Wizard of Oz" into a dizzying, frightening, topsy-turvy maze with "Oz: The Great and Powerful," he knows how to bring something new to the plate and makes audiences care — or at least be wildly entertained — when he plays with characters and in universes that are not of his own making. He is, after all, the only man who could possibly direct both "Army of Darkness" and "The Gift."

Fresh news has attached the director to a remake of a nerve-wracking and suspense-laden classic. While it's not the first title you might think of when you think of horror films from the 1970s, it's quite an interesting chiller, and just the sort of film that falls into Raimi's carnival mirror-laden wheelhouse.

During a September 2022 appearance on Post Mortem with Mick Garris, Roy Lee, best known for producing American remakes of "The Ring" and "Grudge" series of horror movies, announced that Raimi is apparently set to direct a remake of the 1978 ventriloquism-related thriller "Magic." 

"I've only worked with him as a producer on films. Actually, the first time I'm gonna work with him as a director is on a remake of Magic," Lee said. "Which is something that we're working on now. The Anthony Hopkins movie. We're just actually hearing the final versions of the different takes from writers next week. He loved the original movie and the book written by William Goldman." Raimi has not confirmed Lee's statement as of this writing.

The original version of "Magic," which was released in 1978, follows timid magician Charles "Corky" Withers (Anthony Hopkins), who finds success onstage with his dummy, Fats. Though nationwide attention is calling Corky's name, he's unable to answer, as he's dealing with severe emotional issues and even comes to believe that Fats has a mind of his own. The entrance of the married Peggy Ann Snow (Ann-Margaret), Corky's one-time teenage crush, into the increasingly tense situation puts Corky and Fats on a collision course. 

"Magic" produces just the sort of eerie-but-heartfelt atmosphere Raimi created with his "Evil Dead" franchise, which makes this an exciting possible project for the "Darkman" director.