Now You See Me, Now You Don’t Director On Making Magic Without Special Effects

Ruben Fleischer still believes in magic — just not the kind that needs a green screen.

When I spoke to the director of Now You See Me, Now You Don’t via Zoom from New York — he laughed at the idea that the film might’ve cured him of any love for illusion. “It’s quite the opposite,” he said. “Making this movie grew my love for magic.” To build a believable world of tricksters and sleight of hand, Fleischer dove headfirst into research, consulting with magicians and crafting illusions that worked not just on paper, but in-camera.

The biggest challenge wasn’t pulling off the tricks — it was convincing the audience they were real. “Audiences today are so used to movie magic, where you can make anything happen with effects,” said Fleischer who’s no stranger to SFX-heavy productions (Zombieland, Venom, Uncharted). “So it was really important to rein it in. Whenever there’s a trick, we don’t cut. You see everything play out in real time, like a live performance.” His mission: make the impossible feel tangible.

The Now You See Me threequel sees the return of the Four Horsemen (Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Dave Franco and Isla Fisher) back on the saddle. This time, the OG are joined by a new generation of illusionists (Justice Smith, Ariana Greenblatt and Dominic Sessa) to take down a corrupt diamond magnate  (Rosamund Pike) engaged in blood money laundering and market manipulation. The caper take the magi-lantes across the globe, from New York to Antwerp to Abu Dhabi.

Returning cast members and Zombieland alums Eisenberg and Harrelson offered insight into their on-screen chemistry, while newcomers like Smith and Sessa brought new kinds of magic to the mix.

Fleischer lit up talking about them: “Dominic was probably the most excited about learning the tricks. Between takes, he’d be in his trailer practicing shuffles.” By the time filming wrapped, Fleischer reckoned Sessa is deft enough to hold his own at Hollywood’s famed Magic Castle (which served as the movie’s consultants).

As for the original Horsemen, Fleischer singled out Franco, who plays card thrower Jack Wilder. “[He’s] incredible”, said the director. “His character does it on screen, but that is not movie magic— that’s all real.”

Fleischer, however, was quick to admit his own limits. “I learned I’m not a magician — I’m a great audience member,” he said, grinning.

Maybe that’s why Now You See Me, Now You Don’t works: it’s made by someone who still believes in the wonder of watching something vanish right before your eyes — and knowing, deep down, that it’s real.

Now You See Me, Now You Don’t (PG13) is now in cinemas.

Watch exclusive 8 DAYS interviews on mewatch and Mediacorp YouTube Channel.  

Photos: Encore Films/Lionsgate