Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network) is in early negotiations to star in Louis Leterrier’s (Clash of the Titans) magical heist pic Now You See Me. According to Variety, the Summit Entertainment action/thriller has offered lead roles to both Eisenberg and Jake Gyllenhaal (Source Code), as well as French actress Melanie Laurent (Beginners).
Though talks are still in the early stages, Eisenberg is basically in line to play the lead role in a film about a group of elite illusionists who rob banks during their performances and share the profits with their audiences. The FBI gets involved and a cat-and-mouse game ensues.
Eisenberg, hotter now than ever after his critically acclaimed role in The Social Network, will be busy in the upcoming months filming Woody Allen’s Bop Decameron and Predisposed. Apparently, the studio had been courting older talents like Jim Carrey, Hugh Grant and Colin Firth before deciding to go with younger names.
Boaz Yakin and Edward Ricourt wrote the script, which Summit bought on spec last June. Now You See Me kind of sounds like a cross between Criss Angel and Robin Hood, though it might be interesting to see how filmmakers bring this concept to life.
