The Phantom
original movie poster
Directed by	Simon Wincer
Produced by	Alan Ladd, Jr Robert Evans
Written by	Jeffrey Boam
Starring	Billy Zane Kristy Swanson Catherine Zeta-Jones Treat Williams James Remar
Distributed by	Paramount Pictures
Release date(s)	June 7, 1996
Running time	100 min.
Country	Australia, United States
Language	English
Budget	$42,000,000 (estimated)
All Movie Guide profile
IMDb profile

The Phantom is a 1996 action/adventure movie starring Billy Zane, and directed by Simon Wincer. It was based on Lee Falk's comic strip The Phantom, about a seemingly immortal crimefighter and his fight against all forms of evil. The film is loosely based on the first two Phantom stories, "The Singh Brotherhood" and "The Sky Band", and features Treat Williams, Kristy Swanson, and Catherine Zeta-Jones. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Please wikify (format) this article or section as suggested in the Guide to layout and the Manual of Style. ... There have been several well-known people named Robert Evans, including: Robert Evans (author) Robert_Evans_(film_producer) Robert Evans (politician) Robert Evans is also the name of a firefighter who was killed in the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001 Bob Evans This is a disambiguation... Jeffrey Boam (November 30, 1949 – January 24, 2000) was an American screenwriter and producer. ... William George Billy Zane, Jr. ... Kristen Noel Kristy Swanson (born December 19, 1969 in Mission Viejo, California, U.S.) is an American actress. ... Catherine Zeta-Jones (born 25 September 1969) is an Academy Award-winning Welsh actress based in the United States. ... Richard Treat Williams (born December 1, 1951 in Rowayton, Connecticut) is an American actor. ... William James Remar (b. ... Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American motion picture production and distribution company, based in Hollywood, California. ... is the 158th day of the year (159th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar). ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... The year 1996 in film involved some significant events. ... William George Billy Zane, Jr. ... Please wikify (format) this article or section as suggested in the Guide to layout and the Manual of Style. ... Leon Harrison Gross, more known by the alias of Lee Falk, (April 28, 1911 - March 13, 1999) was an American writer, best known as the creator of the popular comic strip superheroes The Phantom and Mandrake the Magician, who at the height of their popularity secured him over a hundred... For other uses, see Phantom. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Richard Treat Williams (born December 1, 1951 in Rowayton, Connecticut) is an American actor. ... Kristen Noel Kristy Swanson (born December 19, 1969 in Mission Viejo, California, U.S.) is an American actress. ... Catherine Zeta-Jones (born 25 September 1969) is an Academy Award-winning Welsh actress based in the United States. ...

Plot summary

The legend of the Phantom starts when a young boy, the last survivor of a pirate attack, is washed ashore on a mysterious island called Bengalla. He swears to devote his life to the destruction of piracy, greed, cruelty, and injustice, in all their forms. When he grows to be a man, he adopts the identity of The Phantom, a masked avenger. The role of the Phantom is passed on from father to son through centuries, causing people to believe it is the same, seemingly immortal man, giving him nicknames such as "The Ghost Who Walks" and "The Man Who Never Dies". This article is about maritime piracy. ... For other uses, see Greed (disambiguation). ... Look up cruelty in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Justice is a concept involving the fair and moral treatment of all persons, especially in law. ...

The film tells us the story of Kit Walker, the 21st Phantom (Zane), and his attempts to prevent the rich madman Xander Drax (Treat Williams) from obtaining a weapon of doom, the Skulls of Touganda, possession of which will give him the secret to ultimate power and world domination. Richard Treat Williams (born December 1, 1951 in Rowayton, Connecticut) is an American actor. ... This article is about the game. ...

In the process of tracking down the crystal skulls, the Phantom also meets his former girlfriend Diana Palmer (Kristy Swanson), who proves to be an invaluable help for him. The search for the skulls becomes even more complicated for the Phantom when he discovers that one of Drax's henchmen, Quill (James Remar), is the killer of his father. The Phantom kills Quill near the climax of the film. This article is about actual crystal skulls. ... Kristen Noel Kristy Swanson (born December 19, 1969 in Mission Viejo, California, U.S.) is an American actress. ... William James Remar (b. ... Look up Climax in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Appearing prominently is Sala, a feminist air-pirate who is apparently an ally of Drax but later converts to the Phantom's side. Sala attempts, during their first meeting, to seduce the Phantom, who remains monogamous to Diana.

Xander Drax eventually obtains three of the four Skulls, whose united power he demonstrates by destroying objects around him. The Phantom then reveals the skull of his ring to be the fourth and unleashes it against Drax, destroying him and the other three Skulls. Diana later returns, in Sala's airplane, to America, though it is suggested that he will follow and marry her. Fixed-wing aircraft is a term used to refer to what are more commonly known as aeroplanes in Commonwealth English (excluding Canada) or airplanes in North American English. ...

Production

The film is loosely based on Lee Falk's first two Phantom stories, The Singh Brotherhood and The Sky Band. Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa plays Kabai Sengh, leader of the Sengh Brotherhood (the name of the brotherhood was changed from Singh to Sengh in the movie), and Catherine Zeta-Jones plays Sala, leader of the Sky Band, a group of female criminal air-pirates. Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa , born 27 September 1950) is a Japanese American actor. ... Catherine Zeta-Jones (born 25 September 1969) is an Academy Award-winning Welsh actress based in the United States. ...

Joe Dante was originally attached to direct, and he developed a draft of the script together with Jeffrey Boam. However, when Paramount pushed the film back a year, Dante left for other commitments, with Simon Wincer replacing him as a director. Dante ended up as one of the executive producers. Joel Schumacher was also considered to direct the film. Joe Dante (born November 28, 1946 in Morristown, New Jersey) is an American film director and producer of films generally with humorous and scifi content. ... Jeffrey Boam (November 30, 1949 – January 24, 2000) was an American screenwriter and producer. ... Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American motion picture production and distribution company, based in Hollywood, California. ... Joel Schumacher (born August 29, 1939 in New York, New York, USA) is an American film director, writer, and producer. ...

Director Simon Wincer then cast Billy Zane, who had recently won praise for his work as a psychopath in Dead Calm. Zane won the part after competition from cult-icon Bruce Campbell and actor Kevin Smith. Billy Zane feverishly pumped iron for over a year to play the Phantom. A Batman-like costume with fake muscles was made for him, but by the time filming started, Zane was so beefed up that he did not need it. Dead Calm is a 1989 thriller film starring Sam Neill, Nicole Kidman and Billy Zane. ... For the former baseball player of the same name, see Bruce Campbell (baseball). ... Kevin Tod Smith (March 16, 1963 - February 15, 2002) was a New Zealand actor best known for playing the God of War, Ares in the television programs Xena: Warrior Princess, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Young Hercules. ... Batman is a 1989 Academy Award-winning superhero film based on the DC Comics character of the same name. ...

Many scenes developing the romance between the Phantom/Kit Walker and Diana Palmer were cut in order to make the film more fast paced. Many of the scenes took place in the Deep Woods of Bengalla. An action scene featuring the Phantom wrestling a lion and one with him fighting a snake were also cut.

Reaction

The movie suffered the same fate as two other period-piece comic book/pulp adaptations at the time, The Shadow and The Rocketeer, and did not fare very well at the box office in the US. The Shadow is a 1994 motion picture based on the character of the same name created by Walter B. Gibson in 1937. ... The Rocketeer is a 1991 superhero adventure film produced by Walt Disney Pictures/Touchstone Pictures[1] and directed by Joe Johnston. ...

Despite of the film's failure, a new movie about the Phantom is in the works, called The Ghost Who Walks. However, it aims to distance itself from the 1996 film, and provide an updated take on the character. The Ghost Who Walks is a planned movie adaptation of Lee Falks comic strip The Phantom. ...

Novelization

A novelization of the film was written by Rob MacGregor, author of many novels featuring Indiana Jones. It included a more detailed look at the backstory of the characters, and also a few scenes which were omitted from the final cut of the movie. Dr. Henry Indiana Jones, Jr. ...

Tribute

The Palmers' butler is named Falkmoore. This name is derived from Lee Falk, the creator of The Phantom, and Ray Moore, The Phantom's first artist. Leon Harrison Gross, more known by the alias of Lee Falk, (April 28, 1911 - March 13, 1999) was an American writer, best known as the creator of the popular comic strip superheroes The Phantom and Mandrake the Magician, who at the height of their popularity secured him over a hundred... There are several notable people called Ray Moore: Ray Moore, comic strip illustrator and co-creator of The Phantom Ray Moore, British broadcaster Raymond Moore, former South African tennis player Ray Moore, (1926-1995) former pitcher in Major League Baseball. ...

Advertising

• To coincide with the premiere of the film, the Phantom was used as a part of the Got Milk? campaign.

Got Milk? is an American advertising campaign encouraging the purchase of cows milk, which was created by the advertising agency Goodby Silverstein & Partners for the California Milk Processor Board in 1993 and later licensed for use by milk processors and dairy farmers. ...

Shooting locations

The movie was shot on location in Los Angeles, USA, and Australia and Thailand. Hugh Hefner, creator of Playboy magazine, a fan of the Phantom comic strip, allowed the filmmakers to use his Playboy Mansion as the home of the wealthy Palmer family. Flag Seal Nickname: City of Angels Location Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates , Government State County California Los Angeles County Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (D) Geographical characteristics Area     City 1,290. ... Hugh Marston Hefner (born April 9, 1926 in Chicago, Illinois), also referred to colloquially as Hef, is the founder and editor-in-chief of Playboy magazine. ... For other uses, see Playboy (disambiguation). ... Playboy Mansion West, commonly known as The Playboy Mansion, is the Holmby Hills, Los Angeles, California, residence of Playboy magazine publisher Hugh Hefner and many of his playmates. ...

Taglines

• "The Ghost Who Walks"
• "Slam Evil!"

External links

• The Phantom at the Internet Movie Database
• The Phantom at All Movie Guide
• Roger Ebert review
• Time Out review
• Billy Zane talks about The Phantom
• The Phantom at the National Film and Sound Archive

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