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Australia plans to reboot "The Phantom"

JacksonArcher

JacksonArcher

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First it was Batman, then James Bond, then most recently The Crow (am I forgetting any others? The Hulk? The Punisher?) and now The Phantom is getting rebooted thanks to some Australian filmmakers.

Sydney-based production company Sherlock Symington Productions has secured the rights to The Phantom character, who last bowed in cinemas in 1996 starring Billy Zane in the titular role. The proposed new film -- entitled The Phantom Legacy -- is set to modernize the character with a heavy emphasis on a "father/son" relationship.

The film is budgeted at $87 million and the producers are searching through a vast litany of "talented Australian and American actors".

http://www.darkhorizons.com/news08/081215m.php

I guess this isn't that surprising, besides the fact that it's coming from overseas and not here. What other popular cinematic character needs to get rebooted? I believe Sam Raimi intends to reboot The Shadow.
 
JacksonArcher said:
I guess this isn't that surprising, besides the fact that it's coming from overseas and not here. What other popular cinematic character needs to get rebooted? I believe Sam Raimi intends to reboot The Shadow.
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I don't know if it's still the case, but at one point The Phantom comics were being written and illustrated by a couple of Australians.

Now if they were any good they could have a better idea on writing for the character than some hollywood hack.
 
I kind of liked both The Phantom and The Shadow movies.

Wouldn't mind a CAPEABLE reboot of either.

As for the modern setting...that's one of e good things about the Phantom...he's still here. It ws all put in place after the pirate attack.
 
I'm not surprised - it's a good property.

But I'm one of the few who absolutely LOVED Zane's Phantom. The Shadow of the same era - not so much.
 
i like the 1996 Phantom movie

did you know he was the first masked superhero to be drawn with the iconic "no pupil white eyes" coming through the mask?
 
Dasher'n'Dancer32 said:
did you know he was the first masked superhero to be drawn with the iconic "no pupil white eyes" coming through the mask?
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I didn't know that.

I liked the 1996 movie. Billy Zane had the superhero thing down pat. I thought Treat Williams was ridiculously over-the-top, though. I wouldn't mind a modernized version of the character, however a part of me will miss the classic (20's? 30's?) setting.
 
I also liked the original. It was no The Dark Knight or Iron Man but it was a fun romp, with non-stop action, a likeable hero and a sort of Raiders feel. Zane was great in the title role. It holds up way better than eg Batman Returns or Spawn.

I understood that this movie would sort of be a sequel to the original. Obviously Zane wouldn't be in it, given the modern day setting, but that's the joy of the Phantom concept - the title passes from father to son and any movie could be set in any period, with any star. You could therefore watch this movie with no knowledge of its predecessor or you could assume that the Kit Walker in this movie is the grandson or great grandson of the Zane incarnation.

Given that it's supposed to be about the father son relationship, perhaps they should call it The Father, The Son and The Holy Ghost Who Walks. And with the Aussie connection, Mel Gibson could direct!
 
The Billy Zane version obviously wasn't going to get a sequel, so restarting is really the only option. It wouldn't make any sense to have a brand new movie with George Clooney and Tom Cruise and say it's a sequel anyway.
 
^ Actually, whereas the reports yesterday where that it was a sequel, the producer has apparently today clarified that and said that it won't, it will be a reboot. Fair enough.

Wonder if they'll get an Aussie in the title role? Between Hugh Jackman, the late Heath Ledger, Eric Bana in Ang Lee's Hulk, they're getting a fair run at the comic adaptations ...
 
I remember the '96 film for the scene where the guy gets stabbed in the eyes with razor blades coming out a microscope. *shudders* That haunted me as a kid for years.
 
I have the one Phantom book where he goes after the vampires. It's a terrific story and I loved reading it in my teens. I have since given it to my 14 year old to read.

A reboot would be fantastic.
 
Nice to see the affection for the Phantom movie and The Shadow movie, both of which I liked.

Have to qualify that: the Phantom had a few dud actors and the plot was so-so, but Zane was good. And the Shadow had mostly good actors, a crap villain and a wobbly story, but Baldwin was REALLY good as the Shadow, would have liked to see him i that role again.

On topic: I think fellow Aussies could doa good job, could be really good if they get the right crew together.
 
however a part of me will miss the classic (20's? 30's?) setting.
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I think that would be the best way to do it; otherwise it'll just be Yet Another Superhero Flick. Wouldn't a Jazz Age superhero be cool?

Well, I think so. :p
 
Certain characters belong to certain time frames: The Lone Ranger should always be in the Old West, Sherlock Holmes should always be in the Victorian Era, the Shadow belongs in the 30s, the Fantastic Four belong in the 60s, et cetera. The Phantom is definitely more at home in the pulp era, circa the 30s and 40s, but, as ancientone51 points out, Phantom is a generational character, so he could be legitimately placed anytime over the past several hundred years.

A while back I read about the possibility of a Shadow/Doc Savage team up movie; that would be pretty sweet. By the same token, a Phantom/Mandrake movie would be a great idea. :)
 
This is major necro-threading, but rather than start a new thread to ask this question, I was wondering what anyone here who has seen the Billy Zane Phantom movie thought of it. It's really cheap on Blu-ray right now and the reviews for the video and audio are excellent.
 
Been a while since I watched it. Not a bad adventure movie. It's got some almost-Indiana Jones-level stunts, plus Kristy Swanson and Catherine Zeta-Jones. I say BUY IT.
 
Saw it in the theaters with a bunch of friends. We all loved it. Have it on dvd and have watched it many times. It holds up well to repeat viewings.
 
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