Carter Beats the Devil, a 2002 novel by Glen David Gold, has been stuck in development hell for a while. Tom Cruise had the rights first, and then AMC tried to make a TV series, but those to attempts failed. Now Warner Bros. has the rights and they want a huge star to be the lead.

The thing about that huge star is it’s Johnny Depp, and he’s a little busy right now with The Lone Ranger, Dark Shadows, Triple Frontier, The Thin Man and the eventual other Pirates of the Caribbean movies. Either way, he would be a fantastic choice for this film if he could spare the time, or they get a good director buddy of his, like Gore Verbinski or Rob Marshall, to take it on.

The story follows a famous stage magician named Charles Carter who gets caught up in a conspiracy after the death of President Warren G. Harding. Ooh, sounds exciting! Apparently the book is fantastic, here’s hoping the brothers Warner pull it off. [LA Times via The Playlist]

adaptations, carter beats the devil, johnny depp, warner bros