Russian playwright and director Kirill Serebrennikov is set to make his television debut with an adaptation of Phantom of the Opera that promises to be sensual, gothic, and subversive.
Variety reports that the six-part mini-series is to be produced by Pathé and will be an English-language production. The production crew sees it as a ”riveting psychological thriller with horrific undertones”.
The mini-series will use the original story where burgeoning artist Christine Daaé becomes the obsession of a disfigured musician. But Serebrennikov’s take will shift the perspective to Christine as she undertakes a dark romance with the phantom, where they will explore themes of creation, control, grief, exclusion, and emancipation.
A Phantom Reborn
”Our story will transcend the boundaries of Gaston Leroux’s text, written more than a century ago, and will become the story of the intimate world of the opera,” says Serebrennikov. He’ll be able to utilize his wealth of knowledge on the subject as he’s an acclaimed Opera and Theater director.
Three of Serebrennikov’s previous screen works (Leto, Petrov’s Flu, and Tchaikovsky’s Wife) made their way to Cannes, so it sounds like this adaptation will be in good hands.
The Phantom of the Opera has been adapted, referenced, and homaged multiple times over the years. Notable attempts include Brian De Palma’s rock opera version Phantom of the Paradise, and the 1943 Universal film starring Claude Rains as the Phantom. It has also famously been turned into a musical by Andrew Lloyd-Webber
There’s no release date for The Phantom of the Opera series at this time.
