30 years after he hit the big screen for the first time, “The Phantom” will return — this time to TV.
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Variety reports that a live-action TV show based on Lee Falk‘s original comic strip is coming from “Sidney” and “Candy Cane Lane” filmmaker Reginald Hudlin. The series will be Hudlin’s first since he helmed episodes for “Black Monday” and “The Last O.G.” back in 2019. He’ll direct and produce the show, now in development over at Hearst‘s King Features; Hearst also owns the rights to the entire “The Phantom” franchise.
But why more of “The Phantom” now, three decades after the 1996 film starring Billy Zane tanked at the box office (to be fair, the movie gained a cult following after its theatrical run). Well, the character remains a big deal in the comics world. First debuting in the medium 90 years ago, the first-ever costumed superhero had a new comic launched last year from Mad Cave Comics, with digital editions of previous comics and the webcomic “Phantom 2040” gaining major readership online. “The Ghost Who Walks” also remains a popular character overseas, particularly in the UK, Australia, and New Zealand, The Nordics, Brazil, India, and other parts of Europe.
It also helps that Hudlin has plenty of comic book experience himself. The multi-hyphenate has written issues of “Black Panther” for Marvel Comics in the past, and even co-owns a comic book company in Milestone Media. Hudlin and Milestone also have a live-action feature film based on their Static Shock character in development. Let’s see if that or “The Phantom” hits production first.
Here’s a press statement about “The Phantom,” courtesy of King Features president C.J. Kettler: “The development of a live-action series for the iconic comic strip “The Phantom” marks a pivotal expansion to meet the current cultural zeitgeist for this brand. By partnering with award-nominated director Reginald Hudlin, who possesses a deep reverence for the comic industry and source material itself, we are confident this adaptation will meet the high expectations of both longtime and new fans globally.”
We’ll see if Hudlin’s vision for “The Phantom” fares better than Simon Wincer‘s 1996 film. That movie was one of several comic book/pulp adaptations of the early ’90s, like “The Rocketeer” and “The Shadow,” that failed to connect with audiences; it recouped less than half of its budget back during its entire box office run. Still, Billy Zane’s version of the character has its fans, and Kino Lorber released a 4K UHD and Blu-Ray release of “The Phantom” earlier this month.
Stay tuned for more details on “The Phantom” as they arrive.
