EXCLUSIVE: Disney+ is in early development on Phantom, a YA movie reimagination of the classic novel Phantom of The Opera by Gaston Leroux, sources tell Deadline. The project hails from Disney Branded Entertainment and Kenny Ortega, who has led two major Disney franchises with High School Musical, Descendants. Phantom is very green at this time but has the potential to become a franchise similar to The Descendants if it moves forward.
This marks Ortega’s return to Disney following the conclusion of his deal with Netflix. He will direct and executive produce Phantom under his The KO Company production banner. The spec script was written by Giovanni M. Porta (At Midnight) from a story by Porta and Eric Bromberg.
The 1909 novel, set in the 1880s, 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, manipulating events to make her the star of the opera.
The tale has been adapted countless times for theater, film television and beyond, most famously by Andrew Lloyd Webber for Broadway.
Exile Content (a part of Candle Media), which brought the package to Disney Branded Television, will also executive produce Phantom.
Ortega is best known as a choreographer, director and producer behind projects like Dirty Dancing, Hocus Pocus, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and Pretty in Pink. Newer generations know him for his work on the first three Descendants films for Disney+, Julie and the Phantoms for Netflix and the Disney Channel’s High School Musical 1 and 2. He is repped by Paradigm.
Porta is a writer/producer. Deadline reported earlier this year Porta’s original feature spec script Queen B was set up at Netflix with Fuller Media producing, with whom he has other projects currently in development. PHANTOM marks his second spec script sale this year. His first produced project as a writer and Executive Producer is Paramount+’s original romantic comedy, At Midnight starring Diego Boneta.
He is repped by Range Media Partners, United Talent Agency and Hansen, Jacobson, Teller, Hoberman
