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05-21-2009, 10:36 AM
He's played Bob Dylan. Sorta. He's played Darth Vader. Kinda. And now he's going to play Mandrake the Magician. Probably.
The buzz is about Hayden Christensen, he of the Star Wars prequels, who according to ComingSoon.net, has landed the role of the titular character from the classic Lee Falk comic strip.
You know, the character you're pretty sure you've heard of but couldn't pick out of a lineup if your life depended on it. A refresher course is in order in that case.
Mandrake the Magician was (and still is, apparently) a syndicated strip created in 1934 by Falk, who also was behind The Phantom. The character uses hypnotic techniques in his battle against mobsters, mad scientists, and all other manner of baddies, and aside from his comic strip, he's appeared on the radio, in a movie serial, on TV, and on stage.
The new movie has been poking around trying to pull a rabbit out of its magician's hat since 2007 when Chuck Russell was announced as director of the project. Criss Angel was to star at one point, before The Tudors' Jonathan Rhys Meyers replaced that Mindfreak.
Now Mimi Leder (Deep Impact, The Peacemaker) is directing, and Djimon Hounsou will costar (though it's unclear as who at this point) alongside Christensen.
The buzz is about Hayden Christensen, he of the Star Wars prequels, who according to ComingSoon.net, has landed the role of the titular character from the classic Lee Falk comic strip.
You know, the character you're pretty sure you've heard of but couldn't pick out of a lineup if your life depended on it. A refresher course is in order in that case.
Mandrake the Magician was (and still is, apparently) a syndicated strip created in 1934 by Falk, who also was behind The Phantom. The character uses hypnotic techniques in his battle against mobsters, mad scientists, and all other manner of baddies, and aside from his comic strip, he's appeared on the radio, in a movie serial, on TV, and on stage.
The new movie has been poking around trying to pull a rabbit out of its magician's hat since 2007 when Chuck Russell was announced as director of the project. Criss Angel was to star at one point, before The Tudors' Jonathan Rhys Meyers replaced that Mindfreak.
Now Mimi Leder (Deep Impact, The Peacemaker) is directing, and Djimon Hounsou will costar (though it's unclear as who at this point) alongside Christensen.