Before Batman protected Gotham City, before Superman’s first flight, The Phantom was the preeminent hero of the paneled page. The Phantom was introduced to the world in 1936, and his adventures continue today. He’s a unique character who originated many superhero elements fans know today. In 1996, Paramount called for a film adaptation of the comic.The Phantomdidn’t work out, and the story behind why is as fascinating as any journey of The Ghost Who Walks.
Superhero movies are a dime a dozen these days. Marvel is the most culturally dominant force in entertainment, and DC has some of the most devoted fans on the internet. Things were very different in 1996.The Phantomdebuted justbeforeBatman & Robinput a wound the genre wouldn’t heal for years. When heroes weren’t a sure bet, Paramount fumbled the Phantom.
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What isThe Phantomabout?
In 1536, a child watches helplesslyas a deadly piratemurders his father. He jumps into the sea to escape and washes up on Bengalia, where locals take him in. He takes the mystical Skull Ring and swears an oath to fight evil. Over 400 years later, The Phantom is a mantle passed from fathers to sons to convince criminals the hero is immortal. The 21st Phantom, Kit Walker, is on a quest for the Skulls of Touganda, which can grant a user superhuman powers. He meets Quill, a grave robber with ties to the pirate who killed his ancestor. Kit’s hunt for the skulls brings him to New York City to reconnect with his ex-girlfriend, Diana. She’s an investigative journalist lookinginto a duplicitous businessmannamed Xander Drax. He’s hunting for the skulls as well, bringing them all on a quest around the world. It’s a 30s-tinged superhero story.
What happened withThe Phantom’sscript?
Spaghetti Western pioneer Sergio Leone proposed the idea of aPhantomfilm in the 80s, potentially suggesting the comic strip author’s other classic,Mandrake the Magician, as a follow-up. Leone tragically passed in 1989, withThe Phantomlow on the list of his unfinished projects. The great Joe Dante,late ofGremlins 2: The New Batch, stepped in during the early 90s to direct. He worked up a screenplay with Jeffrey Boam, with whom he’d just worked onInnerspace. That Oscar-winning 1987 sci-fi film was a spoof of the 1966 adventure movie,Fantastic Voyage. Dante and Boam wroteThe Phantomas an action/comedy, but its production wrapped after a dispute over budget. A year later, Paramount picked it up again without realizing it was meant to be funny. They ditched some unintentionally hilarious scenes after test screenings and tried to play the whole thing straight. More scenes were cut, including unrelated depictions of The Phantomfighting a snake and a lion. In many ways, it was doomed before production got started.
How doesThe Phantomend?
Diana is abducted by Drax’s team of air pirates and their leader, Sala. Kit and Diana learn of one of the skulls in a museum. It’s taken by Drax and his goons. The two skulls give him the location of the third, which rests on an island in the Andaman Sea. The Phantom stows away on Drax’s plane as he, Sala, Quill, and Diana fly to the island. Drax meets with the distantdescendant of the piratethat killed the first Phantom’s father. The pirate has the third skull, but he knows that the fourth and final artifact can control their power.
The Phantom attacks, knocking the pirate to his death at the hands of several sharks. Diana and Sala work together to help. Drax uses the skulls against The Phantom. He accidentally kills Quill. His ring is revealed to be the fourth skull, allowing him to redirect the blast. His attack destroys Drax and the skulls. The resulting explosioncauses a volcanic eruption. The Phantom saves Sala and Diana and leaves the island. They return to Bengalia, where Diana declares she knows The Phantom’s secret identity. He explains that only the woman he plans to marry can know who he truly is. She leaves and returns to New York regardless. The ghost of Kit’s father is saddened, but he reassures his son, promising that Diana will come back.
The Phantomdeserved much better. The fact that the studio couldn’t determine the intent of the script is another argument against their ownership of almost all entertainment media.Joe Dante’s version ofthe story might have been silly and weird, but at least it would have been a consistent vision.The Phantomhas a mild cult following from fans who enjoy the strange elements of its presentation. Whether Kit Walker ever gets another chance at the big screen remains to be seen.The Phantomis one of the most fascinating failures in the superhero genre. That’s an accomplishment fit for The Man Who Cannot Die.
