Behind the Magic of Now You See Me 3

After nearly a decade, the third film in the Now You See Me franchise is finally here. You’ll be hearing about it soon—how many friends or relatives will ask for your take, simply because you’re a magician?—and it’s worth noting that, after all this time, a major mainstream production is once again placing magic at its center.

It’s been several years since the first two NYSM films, along with other notable releases like The Illusionist and The Prestige. The announcement of Now You See Me 3’s release date arrived alongside Apple TV’s reveal of a Siegfried and Roy series, starring Jude Law and Andrew Garfield.

Have we truly entered a more fertile moment for magic in film and television? That remains to be seen—but for now, we’re approaching the news in true One Ahead style: by taking you behind the scenes of Now You See Me: Now You Don’t.

How does a film like this actually come together? More importantly, how is the magic we see on screen created—and by whom? We spoke with Ben Seidman, one of the magic consultants who worked on the project, to find out.

Seidman is one of the busiest performers in the US, and many of you will also know him from his collaborations with Wired and Vanity Fair—which he wrote about in a past article for One Ahead.

We sat down with him for a wide-ranging conversation to uncover how the behind the scenes magic of a production like this really works.

The Magic Team

For Now You See Me 3, the filmmakers assembled a dedicated team of magic consultants and structured it much like a stunt department. The idea originated with Randy Pitchford, who was approached early on by one of the film’s producers to help envision the kind of magic the story would require.

Pitchford, for those unfamiliar, is a major figure in the world of magic—he also is the current owner of The Magic Castle in Los Angeles.

Once the consulting team was defined, each member took on a distinct role. The initial phase was led by script advisors, brought in early to design magic that would serve the tone and structure of the story. This group included Toby Halbrooks, Randy Pitchford, Jared Kopf, and Jim Steinmeyer.

Director Ruben Fleischer made it clear from the outset: the goal was practical magic. In other words, illusions that would feel real, replicating the impact of seeing magic performed live. That principle likely shaped the choice of consultants as much as the effects themselves.

Alongside the scripting team, another group of magicians was present on the ground in Budapest during filming. This included Ben Seidman, John Lovick, and Nils Bennett, with Jared Kopf stepping in twice when Seidman had previously contracted shows.

Each person’s role was clearly defined—at least on paper. The first group would shape the illusions during the writing phase; the on-set team would handle execution. Lovick took on more of a directorial role, while Seidman focused on teaching.

But as Seidman told One Ahead, the reality was far more fluid. Roles overlapped constantly. There was simply too much to do—and in the end, every magic consultant took on many roles.

Working with Actors

One might imagine that the job of a magic consultant is simply to dream up incredible effects, backed by a blockbuster budget and performed by actors who can pull off anything.

The reality is far more nuanced. A consultant’s job is less about spectacle and more about practicality–solving problems, serving the story, and adapting to the shifting needs of a film production.

In that context, Ben Seidman’s role was especially compelling. His primary responsibility was to teach magic to the actors. He began this process with a series of sessions in Los Angeles, where he met with members of the cast to introduce them to the fundamentals of sleight of hand and performance.

It didn’t take long for Seidman to realise just how much had to be broken down.

"We started training them on flourishes and ways to handle things. In theory, you can teach anyone anything, but in practice, this is not always possible. There are so many things we, as magicians, do instinctively that are completely foreign to others. [...] A big challenge became figuring out how to compensate for the lack of years of practice–and make these actors look as natural as possible while behaving like magicians."

There’s a dynamic that anyone who’s worked with actors on magic will recognise. Magicians may understand the secrets of magic, but they’re rarely trained actors. Performers, on the other hand, are taught to be anything: they can fully embody a character, take direction with precision, and commit to a role in a way that magicians often don’t.

This theatrical discipline allows actors to bring a richness and presence to magic that can be missing from some live performers. But it also means the method—the nuts and bolts of how a trick actually works—is rarely their main concern. Seidman told us:

"For so much magic, I feel like the effect comes first. In certain cases, that's a mistake–especially if we, as magicians, want to deliver a magical experience that is theatrical. But for actors, script is king. Everything else is less important. These are two very different foundational approaches. It reminded me how important it is to stick to anything and everything that is story-driven above magic. My instinct is to treat the magic as the most important thing. But on a $100 million movie, it’s different. They want the magic to be awesome, but it's just one of many elements–there are so many moving parts, and this was a good reminder that what feels like a priority to us might not feel like a priority to the other people working on the project."

When Seidman was working on his Vanity Fair series, breaking down magic in film and TV,  he spoke with British performer and consultant Ben Hart, who offered a simple but essential piece of advice: “Pragmatism is king.”