Sci-Fi Bulletin: Exploring the Universes of SF, Fantasy, Horror and Spy-fi!

An updated retelling of Gaston Leroux’s Phantom of the Opera is in preparation from Anthony McCarten and Scooter Braun.

According to Deadline, this will be set in the current London musical scene, and lean into the horror elements of the tale.

“The basic idea that lured me in was the chance to brush the cobwebs off a 110 year old tale, and return it to its roots suspense and horror,” McCarten told Deadline. “It will be a contemporary version of story, incorporate contemporary themes, and a new musical soundtrack drawing on some of the biggest recording talent…

“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… It’s a bit like taking an old piece of furniture and stripping off the layers of paint, back to the original grain. 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.”

No musicians are as yet linked to the project, which is looking to a November 2022 release.