The Phantom of the Operahas seenmany screen iterationsover the last century, and the Gaston Leroux novel is being adapted into a new contemporary movie simply titledPhantom. Moving the setting from an opera house in Paris to the nightlife scene of New Orleans, the film has been picked up by Universal, who obviously delivered the iconic 1925 movie version starring Lon Chaney, and is reported to be a spec script fromJohn Fusco, which comes with producers Harvey Mason Jr, Mike Jackson and singer John Legend on board.
According to the scriptwriter, the new take on the classic tale of love and jealousy came about when he was working on the Kevin Costner and Woody Harrelson filmThe Highwaymenand was reintroduced to the French Quarter music scene in New Orleans. Speaking in an interview withDeadline, the writer explained how it all came about. He said:
“I was in New Orleans with Costner, Woody and John Lee Hancock and found myself reconnecting with my old musical haunts, and the next generation of my music cronies. I began playing with them again, writing music and recorded two albums and during the pandemic I reflected on that journey and wanted to bring the screenwriting together with the songwriting and that music with a full out movie musical.
This is set it in the sultry nightlife scene of modern day New Orleans, the world of jazz, R&B, neo-Soul, and funk. The French Quarter, where New Orleans is not only known as America’s most haunted city, but the music, French Creole culture, the voodoo mystique, masquerade pageantry of Mardi Gras, just lent itself to a natural adaptation of the Paris setting, and a story that has revenge, unrequited love and mystery.”
For Fusco, working withJohn Legendand his Get Lifted Film Co. partner Mike Jackson, who have recently produced the documentaryA Crime on the BayouandJingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey,and Mason Jr, who has worked on many musical projects such asJesus Christ Superstar Live, Pitch Perfect, Singand its sequelSing 2and the Oscar-winningDreamgirls, collaborating onPhantomhas been a dream come true, and it seems that Mason Jr. is just as excited to be working on the new version of the story. He said that “this story was super exciting to us. We are fans of what Andrew Lloyd Webber did, but setting it in this location and a contemporary context is such a cool interpretation that matches the music with the city.”
After numerous faithful adaptations of Leroux’s novel, which have retained the location of the Paris Opera House that is haunted by the masked man who has a talent for musical writing but is often the cause of “accidents” in the venue should things not go his way,Phantomwill join other contemporary takes on the story, such as Brian De Palma’s rock-operaThe Phantom of The Paradise, and based on the New Orleans setting it could also be one of the best interpretations to not be set in its native Paris location.
