LEGENDS OF TOMORROW Season 3 Adds THE PHANTOM Actor Billy Zane As Another Real-Life Historical Figure

LEGENDS OF TOMORROW Season 3 Adds THE PHANTOM Actor Billy Zane As Another Real-Life Historical Figure

We've had J.R.R. Tolkien and George Lucas, and now it's being reported that Billy Zane (The Phantom, Demon Night) has been added to the cast of Legends of Tomorrow as another figure from history.

News
By MarkCassidy - Jun 15, 2017 07:06 AM EST
Filed Under: Legends of Tomorrow
He was many fans' pick for Lex Luthor back in the day, but now ET reports that Billy Zane (Dead Calm, Demon Night, The Phantom) has joined the DC TV universe as a very different sort of villain.

Zane will play B.T. Barnum in one episode of the upcoming third season of The CW's Legends of Tomorrow.

Barnum was a nineteenth century politician, showman, and businessman, who is remembered for promoting celebrated hoaxes and for founding the Barnum & Bailey Circus. According to EP Phil Klemperer, their take on Barnum will play an antagonistic role:

"I’ve wanted to bring Billy onto LEGENDS every since I saw him in a friend’s comedy pilot. I’m not sure that people know how funny Billy is, although we cast him as P.T. Barnum because we knew that he would be able to find the soul beneath the larger-than-life showman. Truth is, Barnum never said ‘there’s a sucker born every minute.’ He was less a conman, more the father of modern advertising. A guy who made things ‘go viral’ before that was a thing. Sure, in one sense, he’s the villain of our story, but in another, he’s just a guy who wants to put on a good show. Anyone who works in TV can relate to that, right?! Anyway, Billy seemed like the perfect guy to get that duality."

DC’s Legends of Tomorrow returns Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET this fall on The CW.
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Kman
Kman - 6/15/2017, 8:09 AM
LOL the Phantom.... back when CBM's got a $10 budget.
SWelch
SWelch - 6/15/2017, 9:09 AM
@Kman - The Phantom was and is still a great movie. It captured the Lee Falk comic strip perfectly. Yes there some camp moments but it worked. I would say The Phantom is one of the top ten comic book movies. Yes they had a small budget but they still managed to make great looking movie proofing you don't need $200+ Million to make a movie
Kman
Kman - 6/15/2017, 9:11 AM
@SWelch - I gotta disagree on almost all points as I've seen the Phantom fairly recently. Maybe its because it's outdated, but I was not enjoying it too much. And neither did audiences at the time, it grossed about 17 mil.
SWelch
SWelch - 6/15/2017, 9:22 AM
@Kman - Just because a movie doesn't do well doesn't mean it is a bad movie. I am sure we can all name movies that tanked at the box office but still would say they were great movies. I just recently watched it and enjoyed it just as much when I first saw it on the big screen way back in 1996.

Hell I watch Turner Classic Movies all the time and love the movies they show. They never feel outdated to me and we are talking about movies from the 1920s,30s, 40s and later.
Kman
Kman - 6/15/2017, 9:28 AM
@SWelch - I think the action/fighting is poorly choreographed, the script is extremely thin. The characters beyond Zane seem to be half into it. And im still not quite sure what the skull ring actually does, other than just pass down the responsibility of being The Phantom.

It's great that you love the movie... nothing wrong with that. It's not the worst CBM ive ever seen. I just don't consider it a good one, personally.
Lostcause
Lostcause - 6/15/2017, 9:45 AM
@Kman - LOL...I own the DVD. I watched it twice when it came out.
Lostcause
Lostcause - 6/15/2017, 9:46 AM
@SWelch - I agree! Loved it back in the day and still do!
Kman
Kman - 6/15/2017, 9:52 AM
@Lostcause - lol nice... watch away gentlemen! I wouldn't hate this character or The Shadow being redone
SWelch
SWelch - 6/15/2017, 11:06 AM
@Lostcause - Wouldn't be cool to see a Black Panther and Phantom team up? They have a few things in common. The Phantom title is passed on from father to son. Black Panther is is passed down from King to son. Both live in a fictional country in Africa.

I would even go as far as saying it should be the original Phantom, Kit Walker set in the late 1930s(Phantom was created in 1936) and who ever is the Black Panther is during that time.
Lostcause
Lostcause - 6/15/2017, 11:15 AM
@Kman - Ah yes The Shadow '95 or '96...I have this as well. Came out a year or two time before The Phantom '94. With Alec Baldwin, Tim Curry, Ian McKellen, and Penelope Miller. Disney started it 91's The Rocketeer.


Lostcause
Lostcause - 6/15/2017, 11:17 AM
@SWelch - I would give a testicle to see the two together!
SWelch
SWelch - 6/15/2017, 11:17 AM
@Lostcause - Well I hope it doesn't come to that.
Lostcause
Lostcause - 6/15/2017, 11:21 AM
@SWelch - I've got 3 daughters and 1 testy still has strong seed for a son. I'm sure I'd regret it if they ever need a testicle for the price to make Maximum Carnage or Clone Saga trilogies....FOR SURE I'd offer a kidney up!
CaptDeadpool
CaptDeadpool - 6/15/2017, 1:25 PM
@Kman - picked up Batman and The Shadow last month and haven't read #2 yet but from the first issue it made me think it would be a cool stand alone animated film
Origame
Origame - 6/15/2017, 3:10 PM
@Kman - Didn't the Shining flop when it was released? Just saying.
CaptainPresley
CaptainPresley - 6/15/2017, 8:46 PM
@SWelch - Here! Here! I totally agree. It perfectly was like the source material. It's just plain fun to watch!
case
case - 6/15/2017, 11:20 PM
@SWelch - I gotta agree, I love it too. Although back then I was maybe more of a purist - how dare they show his actual face!!! And the rings didn't need to have whatever mystical thing going that it did... Great flick, would love to see a new one!
Kman
Kman - 6/16/2017, 7:01 AM
@Origame - lol you're comparing The Shining to The Phantom? cmon now
Origame
Origame - 6/16/2017, 12:50 PM
@Kman - No I'm not. I'm saying you can't point out box office numbers to determine the quality of a movie.
Kman
Kman - 6/16/2017, 12:56 PM
@Origame - It was a portion of my argument... but yea I wouldn't use that as the only thing. The movie may be a cult classic for many, but let's not pretend this is some well done film.

I think the nostalgia makes people feel a certain way about things sometimes
Pathogen
Pathogen - 6/17/2017, 11:26 AM
@Kman - Yet you watch the CW shows, right? Granted...these are shows...but these and shows like AoS contain pretty much all of your complaints lol
Kman
Kman - 6/19/2017, 7:04 AM
@Pathogen - who said I watch CW shows?

Because I absolutely loathe the CW and everything they've done to comic book television.
Pathogen
Pathogen - 6/19/2017, 4:50 PM
@Kman - oh good. High five, then. I just assumed, since most on here do (I'm guilty of reeeeeaaalllyyy trying to like them...I just can't watch bottom of the barrel stuff, no time)
sKeemAn
sKeemAn - 6/15/2017, 8:09 AM
I'm really liking this show. It reminds me the most (out of CW shows) of a comic book.
Kevwebsz
Kevwebsz - 6/15/2017, 8:09 AM
What could've been...
TheLight
TheLight - 6/15/2017, 8:13 AM
The Lex Luthor that could've been.

Kman
Kman - 6/15/2017, 8:20 AM
@TheLight - Right? He's had a lot of villain/a-hole type roles in the past. I don't see why he couldn't have been cast for BvS. Other than, because they wrote the character completely differently than his comic counterpart is for that film.
JumpRay
JumpRay - 6/15/2017, 8:22 AM
@TheLight - Yes. Yes. Yes. He is, and had been, the obvious choice. I think they should still cast him as Luthor in the DCU going forward. He should make an offhand statement about a defective clone of his who got out of hand (or something). It's lame, but fans would like the nod and forgive if this is the Luthor we'll get.
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