The Phantom Sequal in the Works

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.

The last one didn't excite people. Where are the legions of Phantom fans they're talking about?

This will not work

I actually liked The Phantom, and I am cautiously optimistic.

Originally posted by BruceSkywalker
This will not work

Don't jump the gun too soon.

All I know about The Phantom comes from an old VHS I owned many years ago of "Defenders of the Earth". Anyone remember that? It was kick-ass!

Originally posted by Kazenji
Don't jump the gun too soon.

I just think it will..

The first one wasn't that good

The Phantom is too retro a character - will they have to do something totally artificial in style, like they've done with The Spirit?
The kind of things they were doing in the last one, are done much better in the Indiana Jones films.

The Phantom was an awful movie. I agree with Roughrider. I think it would be very hard to make such a retro super-hero work in modern times. When i think, Phantom, i think Noir or Indiana Jones. Taking the Phantom out of that element may end up compromising apart of what makes the Phantom unique. However, it would definitely make for an easier movie. They also need to cast someone new because Billy Zane is a douche.