Late last year, we got word that a new YA adaptation of Phantom of the Opera is in development for Disney+, and the project may now be honing in on its female lead.
According to scooper MTTSH, Rachel Zegler (Snow White, West Side Story) is being eyed to play Christine, the object of the titular Opera Ghost's obsession. Whether this means she's actually in talks for the role or simply someone the studio is interested in is not clear.
This latest take on the classic novel by Gaston Leroux will be directed and executive produced by Kenny Ortega, who has led two major Disney franchises with High School Musical and The Descendants. Should Phantom move forward, it "has the potential to become a franchise similar to The Descendants."
The novel tells the story of Erik, "a mysterious, disfigured musical genius who lives beneath the Paris Opera House. He becomes obsessed with a young soprano, Christine, and manipulates events to make her the star of the opera."
There have been numerous theater, film, and TV adaptations of Phantom over the years, the most famous being Andrew Lloyd Webber record-smashing Broadway musical, which ran from 1988-2023. The most overtly horror version starred A Nightmare on Elm Street's Robert Englund, and was released in 1989. We also had Joel Schumacher's somewhat underlooked 2004 take starring Gerard Butler and Emmy Rossum (see the trailer below).
If Zegler is in talks, expect the trades to weigh in soon.
The Phantom of the Opera is a 2004 musical romantic drama film based on Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical of the same name, which in turn is based on Gaston Leroux's novel, Le Fantôme de l'Opéra. Produced and co-written by Lloyd Webber and directed by Joel Schumacher, it stars Gerard Butler as the titular character, with Emmy Rossum, Patrick Wilson, Miranda Richardson, Minnie Driver, Simon Callow, Ciarán Hinds, Victor McGuire and Jennifer Ellison in supporting roles.
The film was announced in 1989, although production did not start until 2002 due to Lloyd Webber's divorce and Schumacher's busy career. It was shot entirely at Pinewood Studios, with scenery created with miniatures and computer graphics. Rossum, Wilson and Driver had singing experience, but Butler had none and was provided with music lessons prior to filming. The Phantom of the Opera grossed $154.6 million worldwide. It received mixed reviews from critics, with praise for the visuals and acting, particularly the performances of the lead actors, but criticism towards the writing, direction and unnecessary deviations from the stage version.