Put both your hands at the level of your eyes: There’s a new Phantom getting ready to haunt your dreams. According to Deadline, Scooter Braun’s SB Projects is reportedly collaborating with Bohemian Rhapsody screenwriter Anthony McCarten and his company Muse of Fire Productions on a “music-filled big scale contemporary psychological thriller film†set in London called Phantom, based on author Gaston Leroux’s 1910 novel Le Fantôme de L’Opéra, which of course inspired a little-known musical from Anthony Lloyd Webber, returning this fall to Broadway. And if you’re wondering if Scooter Braun’s involvement means the new Phantom will feature spooky, sexy hits from his many huge clients, including Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande, and Demi Lovato, the answer is: It had better! Why else are we doing this?
“You’re aware of everyone on the list; they are multi-Grammy winning artists,†McCarten told the outlet, when asked about the musicians who might feature on the movie’s score. “We’re aiming to do something quite groundbreaking with music and the score, and something that will be new to them. We’ll reinvent this story for a new generation free from Gothic romantic period trappings. Our phantom is not offering anyone singing lessons, and there is no gondolier with a mask.â€
If you’re concerned the Phantom of the Opera sans mask and gondola is just the story of a dangerous stalker, well, that’s kind of what they’re going for. According to Deadline, the new adaptation “intends to upend the romanticism associated with previous interpretations, and instead lean into the suspense and horror that was a big part of the book.â€
“It’s a bit like taking an old piece of furniture and stripping off the layers of paint and back to the original grain,†continued Carten. “It’s back to the much scarier, horror suspense roots that were in the book. With this version of the tale, we aim to bring a more psychological lens to the questions of what may, and may not, be real, and to who and what we can be.†As long as there’s still a masquerade ball, a homicidal chandelier, and enough candelabras to put Yankee Candle to shame, then we’ll probably see the film. Just kidding, of course we’ll see it. We didn’t buy a ticket to Cats just to pass up the chance to watch the Phantom channelling Ari and the Biebs in a crowded theater.