Jesse Eisenberg, Magician Thief

We write so many newsy blog posts at The Projector that some of them leave our brains as soon as we hit "send." (For instance, we literally have no memory of writing this one.) But some stay with us. One such item was "Now You See Me," a film about a team of magicians who pull off heists ... while they're doing magic shows. If it was based on a true story, we'd be impressed, but we're actually happier that it isn't. Somebody (in this case, writers Boaz Yakin and Edward Ricourt) had to sit around and come up with that. Fantastic.

But that was back in February. What's been going on with "Now You See Me" since? Well, after what Variety calls "a prolonged casting search," "Social Network" star Jesse Eisenberg has agreed "in principle" to play presumably the leader of this merry band of magician thieves. Seriously, how great is the phrase "magician thieves"? Why did it take so long to cast this movie? You get to play a magician and a thief at the same time.

While there's always a chance Eisenberg could end up backing out, Jake Gyllenhaal and Melanie Laurent (of "Inglourious Basterds") also have been offered parts in the film, which will be directed by Louis Leterrier, who previously did "The Incredible Hulk" and "Clash of the Titans." That's a decent cast if all three signed up, but you have to love the names that already passed: Colin Firth, Sacha Baron Cohen, Jim Carrey and Hugh Grant. Have to tip your hat to Summit for going after some big names -- oh, and Hugh Grant, too. But it sorta makes sense why the studio would go after Eisenberg. Precocious evil geniuses are sorta his bag now after "The Social Network." God, that was a great movie. But you know what it didn't have?

Magician thieves.

Eisenberg's next trick: 'Now You See Me' [Variety]