UPDATE: 12/15/2008 - CBM recieved an email from scriptwriter Tim Boyle, clarifying that "Legacy" will NOT be a sequel of the 1996 movie.
Hey Guys,
Just wanted to update you on "The Phantom: Legacy". I'm the writer of the screenplay that has been commissioned to be turned into the film. 1st of all - love the site. 2nd, the film we're making is NOT a sequel. I don't know how this rumor got out - but it has NOTHING to do with the 1996 movie. This film is a totally new film that will re-launch the character on the big screen.
I just wanted to let you know so you guys are totally up to date.
Cheers,
Tim
Thanks for the updated info Tim! Be sure and keep us informed as the project progresses!
Now here's the original report from the AP:
SYDNEY, Australia (AP) — Fans of the skintight purple suit rejoice: the Phantom is back. 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.
The latest adaptation, which is expected to cost $87 million, 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, which received mixed reviews.
"It has the makings of a blockbuster," Sherlock told The Associated Press. "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 Phantom began as a daily newspaper comic strip by Lee Falk in 1936. The protagonist — alter ego Kit Walker — is the 21st in a family of men who have passed the task of fighting injustice onto their sons. The first Phantom took the job to avenge his father's death at the hands of pirates.