Houdini escapes Walden Media

Since 2006, Walden Media and director Mark Waters have been developing a kid-friendly Houdini movie. The last news on the project was in 2012 when Chris Fedak was hired to write a new draft of the screenplay. But now Waters tells Movies With Butter that he's shopping the project, now called The Houdini Inheritance, to other studios. Says the director:

Mark Waters

"The company that was developing the movie with us, Walden, went out of business essentially. They're no longer making movies. So we've taken it ourselves and we're trying to get it set up someplace else but we're still very interested in making it. Houdini is in the movie in flashback. It kind of posits a story where Houdini and Bess had a child that they hid from the world. We're talking about a kid who's 18 who's the great great grandchild of Houdini who has the master's gifts. He doesn't know where it came from but it's him discovering that he has a legacy."

The article reports that Walden Media "ceased funding its own productions last year" and this "left The Houdini Inheritance in limbo." Although looking at Walden's official website, it's clear the company is still in business.

Related:

• Chris Fedak to write Houdini project for Walden Media
• Walden Media preps Houdini project
• Hollywood's Houdini development slate