Hugh Jackman to Star in Aaron Sorkin’s ‘Houdini’ Musical

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In what seems to us like the bizarre result of a round of pop culture Mad Libs, Deadline is reporting that Hugh Jackman (who previously played a stage magician in Christopher Nolan’s underappreciated 2006 film The Prestige) has signed on to star in Aaron Sorkin’s Houdini, a new musical about “the life and death of America’s first superstar,” which is set to debut on Broadway sometime in 2013.

“Rather than being a biography, 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, including the editors of Scientific American and The New York Times, that they could communicate with the dead,” Sorkin says of the project, which marks his “librettist debut,” and apparently has been kicking around for quite some time now. Danny Elfman was originally working on the music, but has since been replaced by Stephen Schwartz, the man behind Godspell, Pippin, and Wicked.

Given the insane credentials of everyone involved, we’re wondering if there’s any chance that this musical won’t win a Tony. What do you think?