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Los Angeles | Hollywood filmmaker Sam Raimi has been hired by Lionsgate to direct "Magic", a modern adaptation of author William Goldman's novel.

Raimi, best known as the director of three "Spider-Man" movies in the 2000s and creator of the "Evil Dead" franchise, will also produce the movie through the banner Raimi Productions, according to Deadline.

The story was previously adapted into a 1978 film directed by Richard Attenborough, in which Oscar winner Anthony Hopkins played a ventriloquist who finds himself controlled by his malicious puppet while attempting to rekindle a romance.

Hopkins' creepy performance in the film is widely seen as a precursor to his Oscar-winning role in the 1991 hit "The Silence of the Lambs".

The screenplay has been written by Mark Swift and Damian Shannon, who previously collaborated with Raimi and Azizi on "Send Help".

"Sam is the dream director for this project - in fact, his coming aboard represents one of the truly great matches of director and material. The script is fantastic, and we could not be more excited to see Sam's direction and creative vision take it to another level," Lionsgate Motion Picture Group chair Adam Fogelson.

The producing team also includes Roy Lee, Chris Hammond, Tim Sullivan, and Zainab Azizi. Nathan Kahane, Paul Fishkin, and Andrew Childs for Vertigo will serve as executive producers.

Raimi most recently directed "Send Help", starring Rachel McAdams and Dylan O'Brien, which topped the box office for two consecutive weeks and grossed around 100 million dollars worldwide.