Starlog Archives: The Phantom
https://lebeauleblog.com/2016/06/08/starlog-archives-the-phantom/
Posted by lebeaushare
This week marks the 20th anniversary of the movie that changed the super hero genre forever (or not), The Phantom. Following the success of Batman, studios were scrambling to find a property that could duplicate the success of the Dark Knight. The problem was, Warner Brothers owned all the DC characters and the Marvel characters were too obscure, expensive or difficult to pull off. So Hollywood turned to pulp heroes like Dick Tracy, The Shadow, The Rocketeer and The Phantom and then were shocked when the desired Gen X audience rejected these movies based on their grandpa’s favorite protagonists.
The Phantom starred Billy Zane and former Buffy the Vampire Slayer Kristy Swanson. But it didn’t do their careers any favors. Instead, it was supporting player Catherine Zeta Jones who would go on to stardom.