Summit rides 'Elevator,' conjures up Houdini pic (THR)

By Nancy Tartaglione

Summit Entertainment has its eye on two upcoming thrillers: One in the form of "Elevator Man," a screenplay by former DreamWorks exec Marc Haimes, and the other a controversial look at magician Harry Houdini. The studio is in the process of acquiring the "Elevator" script while it has taken feature rights to "The Secret Life of Houdini: The Making of America's First Superhero," a book from William Kalush and Larry Sloman.

"Elevator Man," which The Hollywood Reporter says will likely change titles, is a dark thriller with a different look at the human-vampire relationships depicted in such films as "Twilight" - which Summit produced.

"It's a reaction to all of these stories now - TV shows and movies - that play this kind of romantic, fantastical, sexy aspect of getting involved with monsters," Haimes told The Hollywood Reporter.

THR says the producer deals are still in flux but would include Mark Gordon Prods. executives Mark Gordon and Josh McLaughlin.

Haimes was at DreamWorks for more than 13 years until the studio split from parent Paramount. While there, he developed such thrillers as "Collateral," "Red Eye" and "Disturbia" for the studio as well as "Hotel for Dogs" and "Transformers."

The Houdini book was controversial upon its 2006 publishing thanks to insinuations that the magician had acted as a spy for Great Britain and asked to be an adviser to Czar Nicholas II's court in pre-revolutionary Russia.

Summit does not intend to make a biopic and will rather look to fashion an action thriller featuring a character who is part Indiana Jones and part Sherlock Holmes, says THR.

The studio is looking for writers to adapt the book. Although Houdini has long interested Hollywood, only a few projects have made it to theaters including 1953's "Houdini" with Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh and 2008's "Death Defying Acts" starring Guy Pearce and Catherine Zeta-Jones.