Ruben Fleischerstill believes in magic — just not the kind that needs a green screen.

When I spoke to the director of Now You See Me, Now You Don’t via Zoom from New York — he laughed at the idea that the film might’ve cured him of any love for illusion. “It’s quite the opposite,” he said. “Making this movie grew my love for magic.” To build a believable world of tricksters and sleight of hand, Fleischer dove headfirst into research, consulting with magicians and crafting illusions that worked not just on paper, but in-camera.