It almost felt like a beat-for-beat remake of that scene, to the point where I could hear John Williams fun little “bompf” musical cues when Young Indiana would fall down.īut hold on, Carson. In fact, I couldn’t stop thinking about the opening scene in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. The opening set-piece where Harry steals the watch and runs through New York felt almost identical to a dozen scenes Spielberg has filmed. I’m going to be honest here – I was feeling that a lot during this script. Have I seen these set pieces before? Have I seen these situations before? Does every scene feel like a movie I’ve already watched? Where I push back is if your world and plot feel too familiar. So I’m perfectly okay if your story feels familiar in that respect. And even though that’s a familiar template, it’s a template that works. When I read these big adventure stories, I concede that we’re going to be following the Hero’s Journey. Beep beep! But after the chase ends with them in the Hudson River, the two will have to come up with a new plan to both open this box and defeat Aleister Crowley! They hop into one of the first ever “electric carriages” (a car) and it’s a car chase through the city. Sophia, who doesn’t like Harry, is forced to team up with him and run off. He needs her help to get this box to her uncle! Except no sooner does he tell Sophia this than Aleister appears again! What a douchebag. Harry is able to sequester Sophia away and tell her why he’s here. Harry heads to Ballantine’s mansion where they’re having a ball for his 17 year old niece, Sophia. And with that, he breathes his dying breath. He tells Harry to get that box back to Ballantine. Harry tries to save his dying friend, but Hugo says it’s too late. When Hugo refuses to reveal where he’s placed the box, Aleister stabs him and leaves. No sooner has Ballantine left than Aleister Crowley, a 20 year old professional douchebag wearing a cape, shows up. The rumor is that there’s REAL MAGIC inside. Says he needs it opened and Hugo’s the only guy who can do it. “Can I have summor playse?”īack at their locksmith shop, an old rich friend of Hugo’s stops by, Sir Neville Ballantine. The cops end up catching Harry but Hugo, posing as a dastardly orphanage headmaster, convinces the cops to leave Harry with him, where he’ll be mercilessly worked to death over the next two years. I just like saying “lower east side.” Makes me sound like a real New Yorker! I don’t know if this was actually happening on the lower east side. We hit just about every fire escape and building top in the lower east side. Harry makes a run for it as the cops chase him which doubles as an establishing shot of 1880’s New York. Our opening scene has Harry performing a “magic trick,” which is really just a distraction so he can steal a rich guy’s pocket watch. Hugo has been on the wrong side of the law for a good portion of his life and, therefore, has taught Harry some trickery in relation to how to pickpocket. In reality, Harry is an apprentice for a locksmith named Hugo Crane. 16 year old Erik “Harry” Weisz is a magician! Or, at least, that’s what he’d have the many small crowds he performs for around New York City think. Now, all we need, is for the execution to be great. There’s something about that name that gets people excited to read a script. You know the market is eager for it.Īlso, Harry Houdini specs always get love. So it’s a good idea to come up with another magic movie that focuses on a young character. If they tried to remake Star Wars with different actors, I’d have a conniption fit. It still baffles my brain that they’re going to turn that into a TV show with a new cast. Studios have been desperate to find the next Harry Potter. The Black Phone’s Mason Thames for Houdini? The writer is brand spanking new on the scene. Premise: When aspiring magician, Harry Houdini, discovers a mysterious puzzle-box, he must use his talent for illusion and escape to unlock the box’s powerful secrets and keep it out of the hands of a vengeful sorcerer.Ībout: This script finished with 12 votes on last year’s Black List. Today’s script is something Spielberg would’ve directed in 1988.
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