Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom Of The Opera

MacGuffin · August 29, 2004, 06:53:34 PM

Release Date: December 3rd, 2004 (limited release); expands wide at a later date.

Cast: Gerard Butler (Erik the Phantom), Emmy Rossum (Christine), Alan Cumming, Minnie Driver (Carlotta), Patrick Wilson (Raoul, Vicomte de Chagny).

Director: Joel Schumacher (Tigerland, A Time to Kill, Batman & Robin, Phone Booth, Veronica Guerin)

Screenwriter: Joel Schumacher (Flawless, The Wiz, D.C. Cab, Car Wash, Sparkle) and Andrew Lloyd Webber

Based Upon: The Broadway play written by Andrew Lloyd Webber (with lyrics by Charles Hart and Richard Stilgoe), which has grossed over $3 billion since its debut in 1987, and which was originally based upon the novel by Gaston Leroux.

Premise: This romantic musical epic is about a mysterious masked figure, Erik (Butler), who roams the undergrounds of 19th century Paris, centering his activity around (or under) the Opera Populaire, where he tutors a beautiful young soprano, Christine (Rossum), who goes on to upstage the city's most famous opera singer, Carlotta (Driver). The Phantom thinks he's found love, until Christine's childhood boyfriend, Vicomte de Chagny (Wilson) shows up... (Cumming plays an opera house owner.)

Trailer here.

bonanzataz · August 29, 2004, 06:59:19 PM

minnie driver is in this. that's funny.

i had a chorus teacher in elementary school who used to love this show. he was a big fat guy who made us listen to the soundtrack and read through the show. he used to get real pissy at us when we were loud. that's the word for it is pissy... yeah...

Find Your Magali · August 31, 2004, 01:01:51 AM

I just saw the U.S. Tour version of this in Baltimore. Much smaller scale than Broadway, but still a wonderful, powerful musical. ... I'm very much looking forward to the movie. It should have been a no-brainer to do this on film years ago....

Thrindle · August 31, 2004, 01:18:55 AM

I don't know how "no brainer" this one actually is... I recall it being done before with the chick from Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman (know the face, name escapes me). It was done all 80's rockish and was awful.

This piece has been raped so many times. I just hope that the spirit of the Phantom (which is amazing to see as live theatre) is not butchered.

matt35mm · August 31, 2004, 02:07:06 AM

I was excited until I read "A Film By Joel Schumacher."

bonanzataz · August 31, 2004, 02:22:05 PM

falling down was pretty awesome. and i like the client and a time to kill also. but i don't like musical theatre. i think i'm going to skip this one.

Jeremy Blackman · August 31, 2004, 04:16:54 PM

For some reason, I think Milos Forman would be a better choice.

Ghostboy · August 31, 2004, 04:45:40 PM

Or heck, get Alan Parker back.

And it's not that Joel Schumacher can't make a good movie, because he's done so in the past and I'm sure there's a definite possibility that this will be a quality film -- it's just that, moreso than almost any other current director, he's tainted his name so terribly. The Phantom Of The Opera trailer would be far better served without his name credit.

I've never seen the show, but I used to listen to the CD all the time. It'd be cooler if The Phantom had more Lon Cheney-esque makeup, but oh well. Emma Rossum is adorable.

I want to see Les Mis adapted. Actually, I'd like to adapt it myself because I'm particularly fond of that musical, but I'd want to do it in French so no one would notice how bad the lyrics are.

Pedro · August 31, 2004, 05:43:47 PM

Quote from: GhostboyI want to see Les Mis adapted. Actually, I'd like to adapt it myself because I'm particularly fond of that musical, but I'd want to do it in French so no one would notice how bad the lyrics are.

"one little scream and you'll regret it for a year"

some lyrics are pretty bad, but it's a lot better overall than phantom. do you have any specific plans for how you'd shoot any of your adaptation?

Chest Rockwell · August 31, 2004, 06:01:01 PM

I don't understand why Phantom of the Opera is synonymous more with the musical than the book nowadays. Never saw the show, but I LOVED the book. I'll see this. And hey, Joel Schumacher can sometimes create some nice artistic effects that I'm assuming would work for a musical, i.e. Batman Forver.

MacGuffin · August 31, 2004, 06:39:52 PM

Quote from: Chest RockwellI don't understand why Phantom of the Opera is synonymous more with the musical than the book nowadays.

Quote from: MacGuffinThe Broadway play written by Andrew Lloyd Webber (with lyrics by Charles Hart and Richard Stilgoe), which has grossed over $3 billion since its debut in 1987

diggler · August 31, 2004, 09:09:31 PM

Macguffin, love your profile photo. i just saw corridors of evil for the first time yesterday.

Pubrick · September 01, 2004, 12:47:15 AM

Quote from: ddiggler6280Macguffin, love your profile photo. i just saw corridors of evil for the first time yesterday.

i call it carnival of souls.

Quote from: GhostboyI want to see Les Mis adapted.

u mean for the 20th time time?

Ghostboy · September 01, 2004, 09:26:40 AM

What I meant was, I want to see the Broadway musical Les Miserables adapted.

Chest Rockwell · September 01, 2004, 03:51:34 PM

Quote from: MacGuffin
Quote from: Chest RockwellI don't understand why Phantom of the Opera is synonymous more with the musical than the book nowadays.

Quote from: MacGuffinThe Broadway play written by Andrew Lloyd Webber (with lyrics by Charles Hart and Richard Stilgoe), which has grossed over $3 billion since its debut in 1987

I saw that. What I'm saying is that I don't see how that many people could have seen it, and yet probably 70% of them never read the book. No one seems to have read the book. Moreover, it was a rhetorical question.