In 2012, Warner Bros. Pictures announced plans to bring comic strip character Mandrake the Magician to the big screen, and now The Tracking Board is reporting that comedic actor Sacha Baron Cohen (The Brothers Grimsby, Borat, Alice Through the Looking Glass) is slated to play the title hero, with Get Hard writer-director Etan Cohen (no relation) set to helm the film for the studio.
It's magically comedic! https://t.co/exkIup6NW4
— Etan Cohen (@etanjc) June 7, 2016
Created in 1934 by Lee Falk (who would go on to create “The Phantom”), Mandrake is a specialist in hypnosis and illusion who uses his magical abilities to fight crime alongside Lothar, an African Prince and one of the strongest men in the world. Mandrake the Magician has been adapted before, originally as a theatrical serial in 1939 with Warren Hull as Mandrake and Al Kikume as Lothar.
Over the years, Mandrake has made its way around Hollywood. The new take will be as a contemporary adventure, with the most recent drafts of the script by David and Janet Peoples (12 Monkeys) and scribe Tom Wheeler (Puss In Boots). Charles Roven (Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice) and Andy Horowtiz will produce through Atlas Entertainment, with Alan Glazer and Rocky Shepard executive producing.
