David Copperfield to Put the Magic Back in Movies With Production Company Red Safe

By  · Published on September 27th, 2013

No, it’s not an illusionnnnn – renowned entertainer David Copperfield has announced in a profile with Variety that he will be launching a film production company called Red Safe this week. Copperfield is an accomplished magician and illusionist with a storied career that started with his induction into the Society of American Magicians at the tender age of 12.

After decades of TV specials that showcased those skills, like making an airplane and the Statue of Liberty disappear, that earned him dozens of Emmys, Copperfield has since settled into a new phase of his career: consulting on films that require a “magic” touch. Though you may not have heard about it, Copperfield’s expertise was used during the productions of Paranormal Activity, Now You See Me and The Incredible Burt Wonderstone (he had a cameo in that one, too).

Now, with Red Safe (name: where he keeps his tricks?), he is able to produce his own films instead of just consulting. No word on if they will be exclusively illusion-themed, like his consulting work. For those doubting his competence, he had an interesting take on the filmmaking process in his Variety profile:”My process on creating magic parallels the process of making movies. Besides, the way I see it, I’m in the movie business when I’m on stage.”

True, he’s a seasoned performer with stage and film experience. Is it a fair parallel, though? No matter, he has friends in high places supporting his company, like Paramount President Adam Goodman, who has already expressed interest in creating a film together.

Plus, he’s got a hell of a lot of money to finance his projects (or to fall back on) from his shows at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Copperfield rakes in $30m a year doing two shows a week; he owns more than one Bahamian island. What I’m saying, is look forward to a few well-funded Copperfield-produced films coming to a theater near you.