Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman are in talks to star in Touchstone Pictures’ The Prestige, which will serve as Batman Begins helmer Christopher Nolan’s next directorial outing, says The Hollywood Reporter.
Bale and Jackman will play rival magicians in turn-of-the-century London who battle each other for trade secrets. The rivalry is so intense that it turns them into murderers. The title refers to the residue left after a magician’s successful trick.
The script is based on Christopher Priest’s 1996 novel of the same name and was adapted by Nolan’s brother, Jonathan. He wrote the short story on which Christopher’s Nolan’s breakout movie, Memento, was based on.
The movie will shoot in January with a budget around the $40 million range. Touchstone will distribute domestically, while Warner Bros. Pictures will distribute internationally.
“Prestige” reteams Nolan with Batman Begins star Bale, who is currently shooting Rescue Dawn in Thailand for Werner Herzog. Jackman is shooting X-Men 3 and next appears in Darren Aronofsky’s The Fountain.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
