Jonathan Rhys Meyers (The Tudors) will star in Omega Entertainment and Baldwin Entertainment Group's Mandrake, based on the comic strip created by Lee Falk.

Chuck Russell (The Scorpion King, The Mask) will direct the film, which is set to shoot next year in China and the United States. Criss Angel reportedly has a role in the picture.

Mandrake the Magician debuted in newspapers 1934, and stars a tuxedo-clad stage illusionist who battles crime with his hypnotic abilities. The strip spawned comic books, radio and movie serials, a TV movie, and a co-starring role in an animated series.