As previously reported, Tony Award-winning director Jack O'Brien (Catch Me If You Can, Hairspray, Love Never Dies) will shepherd the musical that will have music by Danny Elfman and a book by Golden Globe nominee Aaron Sorkin (A Few Good Men, "The West Wing"). Sorkin replaces book writer Kurt Andersen, who had been attached to the project in earlier reports.

EW reports that Love Never Dies and Sister Act lyricist Glenn Slater has been brought on board to pen lyrics for Houdini. Tony-nominated composer-lyricist David Yazbek, whose musical Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown opens on Broadway Nov. 4, was previously announced as lyricist.

The creative team spent the last week in New York City discussing Houdini, which could arrive in early 2012 according to Elfman.

"I've written music on and off for two years already," Elfman said. "Right now Aaron Sorkin is writing. He’s writing away, and we all have high hopes that Aaron's going to come through and do some good stuff."

Elfman, who is new to the process of writing stage musicals, told EW, "I'm just trying to go with it and learn. Hopefully [the show] will happen, but I know that there are so many things that need to still happen, and reasons why it may or may not. I just try to take an attitude of, 'If it happens, great, and if it doesn't, I'll have learned what it's like working on a Broadway musical.'"