Just like the Roaring Twenties a hundred years ago, monsters are now officially back in style. The recent unexpected blockbuster The Invisible Man revitalized the classic creature genre for a whole new generation of horror fans and understandably, Universal are eager to try their hand at reimagining even more familiar beasts from the vault.
One of the projects at the top of the list is apparently The Phantom of the Opera, which has never really waned in popularity since its grand premiere back in 1925. The flick, adapted from a 1910 novel of the same name, was an instant success with critics and fans alike. In the decades since, the rich source material has been remade in cinematic format six times, turned into a two-part miniseries and evolved into a Tony Award-winning Broadway musical.
It seems like a no-brainer that Universal would want to retell the story of this cultural icon with one of Hollywood’s most bankable leading actors, then. Indeed, according to our sources – the same ones who said a new Scream movie is in the works and Taskmaster would be the villain in Black Widow – the studio reportedly has Ryan Reynolds in their sights to play the titular apparition. It’s currently unknown if the 43-year-old has any interest in the part, but we’re certainly hoping that he’s as excited as we are about the idea.
The original film starred Lon Chaney as the horribly disfigured Phantom, who made the lives of everyone at the Paris Opera House a living hell for years on end. The eponymous ghost repeatedly terrorized the employees and those in attendance with chaos and mischief in an attempt to elevate the woman he loves into a full-fledged star of the stage. The harmless pranks soon turn into cold-blooded murder, though, leaving everyone on edge as to what the monster will do next.
Again, there’s no word on if Reynolds would be interested or even has time for the project, but tell us, would you like to see him in the legendary role, or would you rather another actor give it a shot in Universal’s remake of The Phantom of the Opera? Sound off in the comments and let us know what you think!
