New Details on Sam Raimi’s Remake of a Cult 1970s Horror Officially Confirmed [Exclusive]

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When ComicBook attended the press tour for Send Help, we talked to writers Damian Shannon and Mark Swift about their next plans working with Sam Raimi. We confirmed that Raimi definitely has another horror project in his sights: a remake of a cult-favorite horror flick from the 1970s.

Send Help Writers Working With Sam Raimi On A Magic (1978) Remake

Anthony Hopkins in Magic (1978) / 20th Century Studios

Magic (1978) is a cult-favorite psychological horror film directed by Richard Attenborough (Gandhi, Chaplin), and written by William Goldman (Princess Bride, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid), who adapted his own novel of the same. The film starred Anthony Hopkins (The Silence of the Lambs) as an ill-tempered alcoholic magician’s assistant named Corky who finds himself failing badly when he tries to step out as a solo act. Corky is given a ventriloquist’s dummy named “Fats” to incorporate into his act, and over time, he masters the art of ventriloquism – or so it seems. As it turns out, “Fats” has developed a mind of his own and starts scheming to turn the tables so that he is the one running the show, and speaking his mind.

Damian Shannon and Mark Swift wouldn’t reveal too much about what they are planning to do with this Magic remake, but according to Swift, “it’s not a straight remake. We are doing what we think William Goldman would do if he were around right now. William Goldman is the original writer of the book and the movie. But we do have a fresh take on it. I think fans of that original movie will be extremely happy with the direction that we are going in. Unlike Send Help, it’s going to be more straight scares and more straight horror. We are really excited about it.”

Sam Raimi sounds exactly like the kind of filmmaker who would be perfect for a remake of Magic. Raimi’s films are defined by their mix of tension, gore, gross-out humor, and wild, out-of-left-field scares – a perfect gumbo for a Magic remake. Raimi also loves eccentric characters (Ash in Evil Dead, Spider-Man‘s Green Goblin, and Rachel McAdams’ Linda Liddle from Send Help). The story of a weird magician trying to master a dummy (that’s also trying to get inside his head) is probably enough to get Raimi on board: the string of murders and mayhem that will ensue was just a bonus.

We’ll find out soon enough: Damian Shannon revealed that he and Swift have just turned the Magic remake script into Sam Raimi. “I feel like it’s a more modern version with some big differences,” Shannon teased. “We don’t want to say too much, but we just turned in a draft to Sam. He’s going to read it very soon, and we are excited to see what he thinks. We dig it. We are down with it. It may not have all the laughs that Send Help does, but it has some really f*cked up moments.”

Send Help is in theaters. No word on any development timeline for the Magic remake. Discuss all things horror with us over on the ComicBook Forum.