I remember reading somehwere that Billy Zane wasn't happy with the studio interference in the movie, which I can well believe. There are some things in there which reek of a numbnut studio exec demanding certain things be added, much to the movies detrement.
Does anyone have any further details on this?
I don't know anything about this other than him, accordign to an interview done around 1996, being a bit dissappointed that several character-developing scenes were deleted to make the film more fast paced. Having read about the scenes, it does sound like a huge mistake, as they all sound very good. Always wanted to see them.
What Things do you think reeks of studio interference? I can't think of anything that really sticks out. Also not sure how much the studio would have had the time to add, since the film was shot very quickly to fill a hole in Paramount's release Schedule.
To me, the intro, the scene with the dead father, and the skulls seems like something a studio might have pushed for.
The first, to set the tone as childish, comicbook and stupid.
The second, to explain the plot to the audience.
The third, to add some larger than life phantasy bullcrap to make it more like Indiana Jones. I can see that being a note given to the writer early on.
Do you remeber where that interview was, or which scenes they were?
Would the same interview say something about Paramount's shooting schedule?
The orgin scene was apparently part of quick reshoots, the studio indeed requested such a scene I believe. The supernatural elements of the screenplay (the magic skulls and such) were there all along. In earlier drafts the skulls were supposed to bring back a winged demon but budgetary concerns made then rethink this as well as cutting out and downscaling action scenes. I have a detailed summary of the forst draft and to me it sounds like a much better and more epig movie, though I still love the final film. I read all this in an ole fanzine called Friends of the Phantom. Wish it was online, but sadly the guy who published it, Ed Rhoades, passed away a few years ago.
sharehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hIrTQEUXwc
On June 7th 1996, the Phantom was released in theaters.share
Today, twenty years later, probably most write it off as just another nineties comicbookmovie misfire. Is this a fair assessment, or is it true what some claim, that the movie was far ahead of it time?
That is what @AndreEinherjar will look into in this retrospective, which also includes possible reasons why the movie flopped upon release, publishing history, comicbook comparisons and a fanedit recommendation...