Ghost to walk among us again

AN Australian production company has secured the film rights to comic-book hero the Phantom in a deal that could provide a huge boost to the film industry.

Billy Zane as the popular comic book character in the 1996 film The Phantom

AN Australian production company has secured the film rights to comic-book hero the Phantom in a deal that could provide a huge boost to the film industry.

Sydney-based Sherlock Symington Productions yesterday announced it had been successful in its bid for rights to Lee Falk's comic series and would seek to adapt it to the big screen in Australia.

The company's Bruce Sherlock, an executive producer on the 1996 Hollywood adaptation starring Billy Zane as the Ghost Who Walks and Catherine Zeta Jones as an evil aviatrix, says there has been a lot of competition internationally to secure the rights.

"The real thing that got us over the line was the script," Sherlock says. "King Features Syndication, which owns the Phantom, was very happy with the script."

Written by Australian independent filmmaker and self-described "big geek" Tim Boyle, the new film, to be titled The Phantom Legacy, will be an all-Australian production, Sherlock says: "The script has been written by Australian. The cast will be predominantly Australian."

While the producers will seek to cast well-known international actors in some of the lead roles, they plan to make use of Australia's world-class film crews.

Boyle, whose previous three pictures have been low-budget action films and comedies, said earlier this year he would be interested in casting Sam Worthington as the Phantom, following his collaboration with the actor on the independent feature Fink!. "I haven't approached him about this project yet," Boyle said at the time. "There are about 50 people I would love to see get into the role."

Noting the film would deal with "the concept of destiny", Boyle was confident at that stage that he would direct the film.

"For a guy who makes low-budget independent films, the fact that my first studio film is a comic-book story is the ultimate," he said.

Sherlock says a director for the project has not been confirmed. "(Boyle) may or may not be the director," he says. "Though if passion has anything to do with it, he's looking good."

Indeed, a lot about the film has yet to be confirmed.

Most pressing is its huge budget. Reports earlier this year cited a figure of $60 million, but Sherlock puts it at $130 million.

Talks are under way with potential backers across three continents.

Sherlock says the federal Government's producer offset, which entitles Australian producers to a 40 per cent rebate on "eligible Australian expenditure", would greatly benefit the production. So much so, in fact, that the company is already claiming that "40 per cent of the funding is already in place".

The rebate came under scrutiny last week when it was revealed taxpayers would end up paying for close to 25 per cent of the production costs of Baz Luhrmann's Australia. The rebate also has been attacked by smaller producers, who are concerned it will not benefit low-budget independent filmmakers.

"We're very happy with the Australian Government and ... the offset and we intend to take full advantage of that," Sherlock says.

He is confident the film, which he hopes will go into production in the second half of next year, will be an improvement on the 1996 version.

"I think we did it OK before," he says. "But I really, honestly feel we can do it better. A lot better."