It's been revealed that Jesse Eisenberg is in talks to star in Now You See Me for Summit Entertainment, with Jake Gyllenhaal offered the other lead role, although it isn't known if he has accepted the part yet, according to Variety.
It's apparently been an exhaustive casting search, with producers looking at various possible team-ups, including Colin Firth and Sacha Baron Cohen as well as Jim Carrey and Hugh Grant. However it's Eisenberg and Gyllenhaal they want! It's also reported that Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Olivia Wilde and Inglourious Basterds' Melanie Laurent have been offered roles, but it's not known who they might play.
Now You See Me is centered on a group of the world's top magicians, who somehow manage to pull off bank heists during their performances, and shower the money onto their audience. When the FBI learns of their bank robberies, a sophisticated cat-and-mouse game ensues. It would appear Eisenberg and Gyllenhaal will be the magicians rather than the FBI, and while Jake has the cheesy grin of a showman, it'll be more interesting to see how Eisenberg handles the sleight of hand.
Louis Leterrier is attached as the director, while Boaz Yakin and Edward Ricourt wrote the screenplay. Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman will produce Now You See Me. No production schedule is set, partly because they're trying to work out scheduling with the stars before they decide when to go into production.