Sorkin hopes to bring Houdini's magic to Broadway musical

Mr Sorkin, whose film Moneyball is up for some awards at the Golden Globes later this month, said the film would not be a straightforward look at the magician's life.

"Houdini, told in a contemporary tone, tells the story of an epic battle that took place between the world's greatest illusionist and a trio of women, known as 'Spiritualists,' who convinced millions of people that they could communicate with the dead," he said.

The Hungarian-born escapologist, whose real name was Erich Weiss, died in 1926. He was famous for stunts which included escaping while handcuffed from an underwater box, but spent his final years challenging the claims of the spiritualists.