Universal Pictures Developing a New PHANTOM OF THE OPERA Movie Set in Modern-Day New Orleans
Universal Pictures is developing a new feature film take on The Phantom of the Opera. The movie is inspired by Gaston Leroux’s 1910 novel Phantom, but this version of the story will have a very different setting. Instead of taking place in France, the movie will be set in modern-day New Orleans.
According to Deadline, the story will follow a neo-Soul singer ingenue who is mentored by a mysterious man, as mishaps occur in a famed club trying to remain vibrant.
John Legend is a producer on the film and the script was written by John Fusco, who created the Netflix series Marco Polo. He’s also written scripts for films such as The Highwaymen, starring Kevin Costner and Woody Harrelson, the animated movie Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, and the musical drama Crossroads.
Fusco said in a statement, "This is set 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."
The Phantom of the Opera was previously adapted as a film by Universal back in 1925 and again in 1943, as well as another version in 2004. Then, of course, there’s the Broadway musical adaptation by Andrew Lloyd Webber.
What do you think of the new setting for this upcoming Phantom of the Opera film adaptation?
Source: Deadline