This almost sounds like an April fools joke. The first movie was enjoyable and all but unless this did huge overseas business that I am not aware of I can't see why they would be making this.


http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=51313


A Sequel to The Phantom in the Works
Source: The Associated Press
December 15, 2008


An Australian production company on Monday announced it had secured the rights to The Phantom Legacy, a follow-up to the 1996 film, The Phantom, which starred Billy Zane as the masked hero who fights evil from his jungle headquarters.

According to The Associated Press, the adaptation is expected to cost $87 million and will focus on "the Father/Son relationship, and what it means to be The Phantom," scriptwriter Tim Boyle said in a statement. "The film will be set in the present day and will deal with the concept of destiny."

Producer Bruce Sherlock, who also served as executive producer of the first "Phantom" movie, said the new film will be a marked improvement over its predecessor.

"It has the makings of a blockbuster," Sherlock said. "There's some surprises that will thrill the 'Phantom' fans worldwide." Sherlock's Sydney-based Sherlock Symington Productions won the rights to the film.

The movie will likely be shot entirely in Australia, with production set to begin within six to nine months, Sherlock said. Producers are in talks with several "top talent" Australian and American actors, Sherlock said. He declined to provide names.

More here:
http://www.aintitcool.com/node/39457

this is some of the weirdest news to come out in a while... I thought the Billy Zane flick was underrated fun, but I don't think ANYONE was dying for a sequel/reimagining.

Didn't the WB try to pull this a few years back with the Tarzan franchise?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarzan_(2003_TV_series)

I'm up for it.

I was going to say they should bring back the Shadow as well, but it looks like they might be anyway:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0915750/

Put Alec in it!

Where's my reboot of The Rocketeer?

IMHO, I don't think a reboot of the Rocketeer is necessary. The original is still good enough for me.

For the Phantom, I enjoyed it, but would rather see it as a sequel with Kit and Diana's son taking over. Maybe if it's set in present day, they can have Billy Zane as a true ghost instead of 'the ghost who walks'.

I'm all for it, I loved The Phantom. So much negativity in thread titles here lately

Awesome news. I really enjoyed the original as a kid and haven't seen it in a long time. In fact, I don't think I've ever seen this on DVD in a store or rental place either...

A blu-ray of The Rocketeer would be good enough for me.

UPDATE: It looks like the report from The Associated Press above wasn't completely accurate. Tim Doyle says on his official MySpace page that "This fim is NOT a 'Sequel'. It is a 're-launch' or 're-boot' of the comic franchise to the big screen. This film has nothing to do with the 1996 movie."

The film is also not titled "The Phantom Legacy" but rather The Phantom: Legacy. Here's an update from Doyle on the production:

Now that we've sort of got those 'Sequel' rumors under control, I guess I can start talking about what we're doing and where the project is at.

"First of all, I've got to say - this is a very exciting time. Being able to bring the first masked comic superhero back to the big screen is an absolute honor. I've been researching The Phantom intensely for the last year or so and I've been working with the support of King Features Syndicate to try and bring you the tightest possible film. Yes, this is a new look at the comic book hero, but rest assured - He wont be 'heavily gadget man' (as that is another comic book hero named Batman) and he wont be an 'angry mob killer' (as 'The Punisher' -Frank Castle has been made into a film 3 times - remember the Dolph Lundgren film - that too was shot in Australia... old skool). He will be, without doubt 'The Phantom'. A man who has sworn an oath to protect - but at what cost?"

Not a sequel? Duh.

I always thought the Phantom was a pretty weak character to base a movie off of.

He's a relic of Depression-era nobility but that doesn't mean he's weak, just not relative.

If you listen real close you can hear all ten of them yell out "yea!

Maybe investors should eye The Spirit numbers carefully before committing any cash!

Will THE SHADOW be next?

I think the producer heard someone say, "Ben Afleck was the bomb in Phantoms" and bought the rights to the wrong movie.

A few years back, my family and I met Bob McCoy, curator of the Museum of Questionable Medical Devices. In a corner of the museum, I noticed a poster of what looked to be original artwork of The Phantom and I asked what the story was behind it being in the museum. Bob smiled and explained that his father, Wilson McCoy, was The Phantom comic strip artist for around twenty years. Bob said when the movie came out, he sat in the theater and as he watched the work his father labored over come to life on the screen, he wept while thinking of all the time he and his sister spent when they were young posing as live models for his father's artwork, which was highly detailed and based off real life poses more than many artists did in those days. Whether the original film was brilliant or left something to be desired is subjective, but I was glad to have heard Bob's story.

And for those hoping to visit the Museum of Questionable Medical Devices, McCoy closed the museum and donated the collection to the Science Museum of Minnesota where I believe it's still on display.

"BONNNNGGGGGG!!!!" -Jay