I’ve never really taken an interest in the classic tale PHANTOM OF THE OPERA. I think the only time I watched this story in full was on a field trip in elementary school. I’ve got nothing against the tale of tortured love, just never cared enough to take an interest in it. I do have the Robert Englund starring PHANTOM OF THE OPERA sitting on my shelf though, so maybe I’ll check that out.
But this news bit isn’t about my lack of interest for the OPERA nor has it anything to do with Mr. Englund. Instead I’m here to talk about Andrew Lloyd Webber, Hugh Jackman, Gerard Butler, and Coney Island. Not necessarily in that order.
Now let me explain before you write this off as under-the-influence-reporting. IESB.net recently scored word that Andrew Lloyd Webber is looking to make a sequel to the legendary PHANTOM OF THE OPERA aimed for the stage. The title: PHANTOM: LOVE NEVER DIES. The plot: It’d be set a decade or so after the first instalment, during which time the Phantom has relocated from the Paris Opéra of Gaston Leroux’s original novel to Coney Island in Brooklyn, then still a hugely popular beach-side amusement resort for New Yorkers.
For some reason I’m intrigued. Why Coney Island? Webber explains:
“It was the place. Even [Sigmund] Freud went because it was so extraordinary … people who were freaks and oddities were drawn towards it because it was a place where they could be themselves.”
Webber already has a date he’s aiming for as well as an actor lined up to play that nifty organ. PHANTOM is looking to be done by the end of 2009, with releases in New York, London, and Shanghai or another Asian city. Webber didn’t divulage who’d be playing The Phantom but the London Times speculates it could be either Gerard Butler or Hugh Jackman. Butler of course has experience as The Phantom, doning the mask in the 2004 adaptation starring alongside Emmy Rossum (below). Both he and Jackman look the part, though neither are close to being disfigured.
That’s the just of what we’re looking at in PHANTOM: LOVE NEVER DIES. For more you can head right over here. I wouldn’t doubt a film version being on the way soon either… considering Hollywood loves scooping up sequels, remakes and everything in between. We’ll keep an eye out for anything else PHANTOM related and update you all once we hear more.
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