![‘Now You See Me, Now You Don’t’: Ruben Fleischer On Reuniting With Jesse Eisenberg & Woody Harrelson, His 'Venom' Experience, & His Upcoming Western Vampire Film [The Discourse Podcast]](https://cdn.theplaylist.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/13175028/%E2%80%98Now-You-See-Me-Now-You-Dont-Ruben-Fleischer-On-Reuniting-With-Jesse-Eisenberg-Woody-Harrelson-His-Venom-Experience-His-Upcoming-Western-Vampire-Film-The-Discourse-Podcast.jpg "‘Now You See Me, Now You Don’t’: Ruben Fleischer On Reuniting With Jesse Eisenberg & Woody Harrelson, His 'Venom' Experience, & His Upcoming Western Vampire Film [The Discourse Podcast]")
Some directors chase realism, others chase spectacle, but Ruben Fleischer chases a good time. Whether it’s zombie carnage, symbiotic chaos, or magicians robbing the rich in style, his movies never forget to broadly entertain. With “Now You See Me, Now You Don’t,” Fleischer steps back behind the curtain for another round of mischief, reuniting Jesse Eisenberg and Woody Harrelson while inviting a new generation of illusionists to play. It’s slick, fast, and full of practical tricks that remind you movie magic can still mean actual magic. The film is set to hit theaters on November 14 from Lionsgate.
For Fleischer, returning to work with Eisenberg and Harrelson was a huge draw, but it wasn’t the only draw. “It was a combination of factors,” he said. “Definitely a desire to work with Jesse and Woody again. This was my fourth movie with each of them. They’re great collaborators, super funny, brilliant actors. I just absolutely love working with them.” He was also a fan of the original franchise and, as he put it, “a huge fan of magic.” Those factors made it an easy yes. “It seemed like it would be a lot of fun, and it played to my strengths of making a super fun movie for audiences.”
While the first two films leaned heavily on digital effects, Fleischer sought to shift the focus toward something more tangible. “As a fan of the originals, there were times when it crossed the line from magic to something closer to sorcery,” Fleischer explained. “That felt like a breach of the contract with the audience. I wanted to be as true to how it’d be done practically as possible. Not cutting in the middle of tricks, letting the audience feel like they’re seeing something real.” To achieve this, the production hired consultants from the Magic Castle, who trained the actors to perform their own illusions. “For the most part, everybody was doing their tricks themselves,” Fleischer said. “It makes a difference.”
One of the new faces in the film, Dominic Sessa, went all in on the process. “He was a massive fan of the franchise growing up,” Fleischer said. “He got so into the training that he wants to audition for membership at the Magic Castle as an actual magician, not just a celebrity. He really embraced it, and it shows on screen.”
Fleischer describes the film as a “requel,” part reboot and part sequel. “The kids are kind of the reason for being,” he said. “They’re the audience’s way in. They even ask the old Horsemen, ‘Where have you guys been?’ which mirrors what the audience is wondering. Their characters grew up as fans of the Horsemen, and now they want to join them. It’s life imitating art.”
Working with Eisenberg again provided a new layer, as the actor recently stepped behind the camera with “A Real Pain.” “It was especially fun this time because now he’s a fellow director,” Fleischer said. “He makes small, personal movies. I make bigger, more commercial ones. But I think he appreciated being on set and seeing filmmaking with a different eye.”
The talk eventually turned to other Fleischer favorites. Fans of “Zombieland” will be happy to hear there’s still hope for a third film. “We said after the last one in 2019 that we should do one every ten years,” he joked. “The original was 2009, the sequel 2019, and Emma Stone already said she’s in for 2029. Fingers crossed.”
Of course, there’s also “Venom,” the only successful part of Sony’s Spider-Man Villain-verse. When Fleischer was asked why he thinks Venom saw success where others didn’t, his answer was simple. “I think something that people love about Venom is that he’s funny. It’s a ridiculous premise, an alien living inside you,” Fleischer said. “I leaned into that. ‘All of Me’ and ‘An American Werewolf in London’ were big inspirations. People love that it’s funny and doesn’t take itself too seriously. Tom Hardy and Venom’s personalities make it work.”
While many filmmakers describe tension working within studio systems, Fleischer’s experience at Sony was positive. “I’m proud of how the movie turned out,” he said. “I think anyone who claims from any of the studios that they’re making $200 million movies with their singular voices, I think, is probably not totally accurate. Making a $200 million movie is always a collaboration. We figured out what Venom should be without Spider-Man, and Tom created a really original version of that character.”
Looking ahead, Fleischer teased something very different with his potentially next project, “The Sun Always Sets in the West.” “It’s a Western vampire movie,” he said. “It’s kind of like ‘Unforgiven’ if the lead character were a vampire. One of the best scripts I’ve read in a while and a really distinctive combination of genres. I think it would be so much fun to make.”
Listen to the full Ruben Fleischer interview below:
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The Playlist Presents: Ruben Fleischer’s Film & TV Recommendation Playlist
• “One Battle After Another”
• “Task”
• “The Chair Company”
Entertainment journalist, podcaster, and host of The Discourse and Bingeworthy podcasts, with bylines at Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, and IndieWire.
