The Weinstein Company (TWC) has picked up US rights to Gillian Armstrong's Harry Houdini drama Death DefyingActs.

The project stars Guy Pearce as the master escapologist who goeson tour in 1926 and embarks upon an affair with an exotic psychic played byCatherine Zeta Jones.

The psychic and her daughter attempt to con Houdini during ahighly publicised seance to contact his mother whose death has haunted him formany years. However all does not go to plan.

The project shot in London this summer and is currently inpost-production. It also stars Timothy Spall and newcomer Soairse Ronan.

Myriad Pictures is handling worldwide sales for Death DefyingActs and has beenselling foreign rights to buyers at AFM. ICM's Hal Sadoff and William MorrisAgency's Cassian Elwes co-represented North American sales. Equinoxe Films hold Canadian rights.

Myriad co-financed with Newbridge Film Capital, the AustralianFilm Finance Corporation, New South Wales Media Development Fund, BBC Films,and the UK Film Council.

Chris Curling from Zephyr Films produced with Marian Macgowan of MacgowanFilm Company. Dan Lupovitz, Marcia Nasatir, Myriad chief Kirk D'Amico and theBBC Films chief David Thompson served as executive producers. The screenplay was written by Tony Grisoni and Brian Ward.