So it's almost been 10 years since the (mediocre at best) Joel Schumacher film was released. I would love to see a remake happen, but I doubt that it will. Hypothetically, if a remake was green lit, I would love to see Tim Burton at the helm. That is as long as he would not use his "go to" actors (Johnny Depp, his wife, etc). As far as who I would love to see cast in the movie, I'm not sure. I'd personally like to see unexpected and fairly unknown actors fill the iconic roles. I know some people will call me daft for suggesting this, but I secretly would love to see Kristin Chenoweth play Carlotta. She has the vocal ability, and the comedic chops to do it in my opinion. For some reason, I see Alan Cumming playing one of the Managers. Like I said, undecided on the rest. Thoughts?

Actually, Helena Bonham Carter would fit very well as Mdme Giry.



Personally, I think a Phantom movie would be at its best if it were done in the style of those old Hammer films from the 70s- Really emphasize the atmosphere and horror aspects of the show. Of course, I think it'd likely be at its best if they managed to keep Webber far, far away from it-- the recorded versions of his shows that he's had an active part in have, IMO, been found wanting, and Phantom especially is a show that needs a lot of reworking to really work effectively on screen.

Agreed.

I would also prefer there to be a heightened sense of horror as well. One such way would be by giving the Phantom less screen time than he had in the film. There were several movie moments added in where he is on screen.

1. Hearing Christine's performance
2. During the performance of il Muto
3. During "All I Ask of You"
4. Switching places with the cab driver before Christine embarks to her father's grave
5. Rigging the chandelier to fall


With those moments omitted, it would add back the mystery of his character.

Okay, here's how I'd do it.

First things first, I would not put Tim Burton in the director's chair. No, no, no. Not right for this. Thank God he has expressed no further desire to go into musicals; after seeing what a mess he made of Sweeney Todd, which was already perfect, essentially "a movie for the stage" as Sondheim once described it, before he got his hands on it, I say, in the paraphrased words of the Rabbi in Fiddler on the Roof, "May God bless and keep Tim Burton... far away from us!" If you must make use of him, then put him where he has always been best: the design department. A film directed by someone else with the unique look of a Tim Burton picture... that's a horse of a different color. (Especially if Burton took his cue from the 1925 silent film of Phantom, and the work of Jaques Demy, sprinkled with some Peter Jackson.)

Who would I have direct? Baz Luhrmann, without question. He proved with Moulin Rouge! that he has a unique understanding of the sensibilities of a film musical. For the best example, imagine "Masquerade" with the memory of his big numbers in Rouge in mind. But the even bigger key to the picture is the musical staging and choreography. And in that chair, I would have to place Rob Marshall. Nine proved that Chicago was a fluke, and you can't stage every movie musical with the numbers happening in the character's heads, so directing it is out of the question for Marshall, but both films (and the 1999 remake of Annie) proved that Marshall is an exquisite musical stager. Putting Marshall and Luhrmann together? Oh my God... it would be beautiful. And the overall job on both parts is piss easy: study Hal Prince's staging, keep what would work on film, and second-guess the rest.

Now, as for casting... everyone has their favorites -- if you see someone else singing the part, that's perfectly fine. But here's my list of the people who would have been perfect for the film had it been done right the first time, with all of my above suggestions in mind. Some of them are actors I've seen, some I've only heard/seen clips of but really struck a chord with me, and some of them have never been within 500 yards of a production but strike me as good fits for the part anyway:

The Phantom…………Hugh Jackman
Christine…………Anne Hathaway
Raoul………………………………Ewan McGregor
Carlotta…………………………Kristin Chenoweth
M. Firmin…………………………………Nathan Lane
M. André…………………………………………………Matthew Broderick
Mme. Giry………………………………………Glenn Close
Meg Giry…………………………………………………Katie Holmes
Ubaldo Piangi…………………………………………………………Frederic Heringes
M. Reyer…………………………………………………………………Jonathan Pryce
Joseph Buquet……………………………………………Jim Broadbent
Don Attilio/Passarino……………………………………Shuler Hensley

I actually really like a lot of your casting ideas- but wouldn't Pryce work better as one of the managers?

Hathaway is a trained soprano (and was apparently considered for the first movie) but she is rather getting past age appropriate (for a character that's no more than 18 probably 16).

I think Pryce would be a better choice for Firmin, with someone like Jeremy Irons or Alan Rickman as Andre.

Well, as I said, these would have been choices had they gotten it right the first time. As for the managers, I originally had Lane and Alan Cumming in mind, but then, the more I thought of Nathan Lane in a role, the more I thought, "Well, what the hell, why not, Bialystock and Bloom trying to run an opera house with a murderous nut job in the basement, and that's the least of their worries." The managers are pretty much the comic relief, and Lane and Broderick are a proven team that would kill!