LW Entertainment and Qubic Pictures Have Plans To Turn ‘The Phantom of the Opera' Into an Anime
LW Entertainment has revealed plans to develop an anime adaptation ofThe Phantom of the Operamusical, joining forces withQubic Picturesto reimagineAndrew Lloyd Webber's celebrated stage production. The project appears to be part of LW Entertainment's broader portfolio of adaptations and cross-media ventures, which also includes film and publishing initiatives based on Webber's works.
Qubic Pictures, headed by veteran producer Justin Leach – known for projects such asStar Wars: VisionsandNetflix'sEdenandLeviathan– will collaborate closely with LW Entertainment on the adaptation. While specific details, including production timelines and creative teams, remain under wraps, the partnership reflects a strategic push to expand the reach of classic theatrical titles through diverse storytelling formats.
Inspired by Gaston Leroux's 1910 novel, Webber's musical has enjoyed a remarkable 38-year Broadway run, acclaimed for its sweeping score, lavish staging and enduring romantic tragedy. This project would mark the first major animated interpretation of the musical, offering an opportunity to present its characters, settings and themes through the expressive and visually dynamic lens of animation.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
San Francisco Chronicle
an hour ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Bob Odenkirk isn't an action newbie anymore
NEW YORK (AP) — Bob Odenkirk ducks into a West Village coffee shop wearing sunglasses and a Chicago Cubs cap. Some degree of subterfuge might have been necessary for Odenkirk years ago. Surely fans of 'Mr. Show' or 'The Larry Sanders Show' might have recognized him. But with time, Odenkirk has traveled from the fringes of pop culture to the mainstream. He's well-known now, but for what is a moving target. At 62, Odenkirk is not only a comic icon, he's a six-time Emmy-nominated actor, for 'Better Call Saul,' a Tony-nominated Broadway star, for 'Glengarry Glen Ross,' and, most surprisingly, an action star. He's not even a newbie, either. With 'Nobody 2,' the sequel to the 2021 pandemic hit original, Odenkirk's butt-kicking bona fides are more or less established. In the sequel, which opened in theaters Thursday, he returns as Hutch Mansell, the suburban dad with latent powers of destruction. This time, he and his family go on vacation to Wisconsin Dells, where they run into trouble. 'My goal is Jackie Chan's 'Police Story,'' Odenkirk says, sipping an iced tea before a day of promotion obligations. 'It exists to be funny. The disconnect is the lack of irony. Hutch has to mean it.' Odenkirk's unlikely but sincere turn into Keanu Reeves territory has, in a way, only illuminated the rage that bubbled throughout his comedy. Chatting casually but intensely, Odenkirk explained how all of these iterations of him make sense — and how 'Nobody' might have even saved his life. AP: Your friends in comedy, have they been funny about you as an action hero? ODENKIRK: The whole time I was training I was thinking: They're not going to make this movie, and I'm getting free exercise training. The second thing I was thinking: If they make this movie, David Cross, Conan O'Brien, Adam Sandler, David Spade, these people are going to see me do this thing and go, 'Really?' It's just so fundamentally discordant. I could have asked for more comedy in the first one. And I didn't want that. I wanted to either make a real action movie — which would blow my friends' minds — or don't do it at all. If you're just going to ridicule the form, don't do it. Or just do 'Naked Gun,' which is super fun, too. I thought the funnier thing — what I did — was to do it. That's a joke on a cosmic scale. I'm literally pranking the universe. I am, right? That's the big joke. Now, what do I do with it? That's the question. AP: With the 'Nobody' movies and your recent Broadway experience, you've set a high bar for surprising people with what you're capable of. ODENKIRK: I thought about the character of Saul. He never quits. He gets pushed around. He's clever. He's in a spot and he has to think of a way out. That's an action character. While it's true that it feels like, 'Oh, boy, you went so far away.' I didn't really go that far away. It's one step. It's a big step. Everything else is in Saul. I did think that for people who know my comedy, this is going to be a hard sell. But that's not that many people. That's a cult group. AP: And it might not be that hard of a sell to your comedy fans, either. The lie detector 'Mr. Show' sketch, in which you calmly confess to outlandish things, has a similar what's-under-the-surface quality like the 'Nobody' movies. ODENKIRK: (Laughs) Yeah, yes. AP: Maybe the most relevant sketch, though, is the one where you and David Cross play tough guys who bump into each other in a bar and then remained locked in mutual animosity through their lives, even through marriage. 'Nobody 2' kicks off with a similar encounter. ODENKIRK: It's a tap on the shoulder that sets this whole thing off. He agrees to leave. Then this little tap happens. Then he leaves. He's outside. He can keep walking, which is what you would do. You'd get home and tell your wife, 'That guy tapped her on the back of the head.' It would just sit with you forever. The whole thing could have been avoided if it wasn't for who Hutch is, which is a person who allows himself to go crazy. AP: Allowing yourself to go crazy isn't a radically different impulse in comedy. Did you always feel like rage or anger was fueling some of the funniest things you did? ODENKIRK: For sure. I remember sitting with David Cross in the morning. We would start our time at 'Mr. Show' trying to generate ideas, sitting around with the paper. Oftentimes, it was: 'This really pisses me off,' or 'Look at this stupid thing.' So, yeah, frustration, anger, those are the very raw materials of comedy. AP: You're just funneling that rage into a different place. ODENKIRK: Life conjures up this rage in you, but there is no place that deserves it. In the first film, the first place he goes to exact revenge, he realizes all these people have nothing, they don't deserve it. In the second film, he goes after this guy and he's like, 'I'm under her thumb.' It's really not something you're supposed to do in an action movie, and I love that. You don't just get to find a bad guy around the corner. You've got to go looking. AP: You've said you'd like to do a third one that ends with Hutch having nothing. ODENKIRK: Yeah, the moral would be that everything he loves is gone. He burned everything he loved. We let him get away with it because the movie is an entertainment and it's meant to tell you: Yes, you can let go of your rage in this magical world. But in the end, I would think that it's an addiction. And he does want to do it. He does want to have a go, and so does every guy. That's why we have movies. And that's why we have boxing matches. AP: How much credit do you give these movies for saving your life? After you had a heart attack in 2021 on the set of 'Better Call Saul,' you attributed your narrow survival to your 'Nobody' training. ODENKIRK: When I had my EKG, where you can see the heart, the doctor explained that I had almost no scarring from that incident. And that's kind of weird because of how long that incident went on and how drastic it was. They were like: 'This should all be scar tissue, and there's none.' They said that's because these other veins are bigger than we're used to seeing, and that's from all the exercise you've been doing. And, dude, I did a lot. I went from a comedy writer who exercised just by riding a bike three or four times a week to the action I did in those movies. AP: You told Marc Maron you saw no white light and tongue-in-cheek advised him to 'go for the money.' ODENKIRK: Well, I got nothing. Nothing. I did talk to my family the next day. I woke up the next day around 1:30 and talked to my wife and kids. I was talking to people for the next week, and I don't remember any of it, or the day that it happened. AP: But did the experience change you? ODENKIRK: (Long pause) It's a big component of my thinking about who I am and what I want to do with myself and my time. The thing that's driven me the most in my life is a sense of responsibility. Not just like, 'Oh, I have kids. I have to make money and take care of them.' But, like, responsibility to the universe. 'Oh, they'll let you do this action movie.' Well, then you better do a f------ great job. 'They want you do 'Better Call Saul.'' Well, let's go. The universe is saying: You can do this. And you owe that opportunity that's so unjustified and magical. I just feel responsibility almost too readily. But the heart attack, however you want to feel about everybody's expectations of you, I mean, you're going to be gone. The world's going to go on without you, just fine. So I don't know, man. Yeah, you've got to come through for people. But you've also got a lot of freedom to invite who you want to be.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
The Internet Is Obsessed With KPop Demon Hunters' Music, And I Had One Big Question For The Directors About It
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Right now, KPop Demon Hunters is captivating those who watch it with a Netflix subscription, it's breaking Netflix records, and it's dominating the music charts. This entry on the 2025 movie schedule has taken the world by storm, and now a bunch of its songs are probably stuck in millions of people's heads, which I love to see. Seeing all this success also reminded me of a question I asked the directors about this movie and its music: Is this a musical? Before KPop Demon Hunters premiered on Netflix's 2025 schedule, I had the chance to interview its directors, Chris Appelhans and Maggie Kang. During that discussion, I asked them a question that could easily spark debate, which was: Is their movie a musical or a movie about music? In response, they told me it's both; however, they came to that conclusion, especially the musical part, 'reluctantly,' as Appelhans told me: I think we would reluctantly consider it a musical now, because it was such an education for us. You had to progress the scene with every song; the lyrics needed to not repeat themselves, all while staying cool, being a good pop song, and that was really hard. We had an incredible executive music producer, Ian Eisendrath. And I think beyond his musical gifts, he's a good storyteller, and he would ask really hard, annoying questions about, 'Yeah, but what does this character want?' Think about it, 'Your Idol' tells us exactly how the Saja Boys are here to take everyone down by making them swoon for their music. 'Takedown' literally explains and shows exactly how frustrated Huntrix is with the Saja Boys and the challenges they're presenting. 'Golden' introduces us to the girls' vulnerable sides and their drive as artists while also being the single Huntrix releases in the film. As all musicals do, this movie's music drives the plot forward. Therefore, it's a musical. It's also worth noting that the executive music producer the director mentioned, Ian Eisendrath, is no stranger to working on musicals. His Broadway credits for music supervision and arrangements include Diana, A Christmas Story and Come From Away. Along with that, he was the executive music producer on the live-action Snow White, and he was an executive music consultant on one of the great musicals and best movies of 2024, Wicked. So, he knows how to tell a story with music and helped do so masterfully on KPop Demon Hunters. However, this movie isn't just a great musical. It has great music, point blank. What they did was craft excellent pop songs that also serve as story devices. So, rather than feeling like you're in a conventional musical, you are hearing these incredible, radio-worthy K-pop tracks that also happen to drive the narrative forward, which was the goal, as Appelhans told me: But I think that ultimately, if we did it right, then it shouldn't feel like a musical. It should feel like a concert film. And then you slowly realize, like, 'Wait, this song is story,' but never break the pop spell. Well, they never broke that 'pop spell'; if anything, they used it to get all this music stuck in everyone who watches the movie's heads. Need proof of that? According to Billboard, 'Golden' is No. 1 on the Global 200 and No. 2 on the Hot 100, while 'Soda Pop,' 'Your Idol' and 'How It's Done' sit at No. 5, 6 and 7, respectively, on the Global 200. The film's soundtrack is No. 3 on the Billboard 200. That's not it either; many of the film's other songs are charting too, showing the adoration this music has. On top of that, many of the movie's tracks have tens of millions of views on YouTube, with 'Golden' sitting at 106 million. So, I'd say this team accomplished exactly what they set out to do. They made a brilliant, and I mean brilliant, movie that uses its music to propel the story of this iconic girl group forward, which makes it a musical. However, they also created incredible pop songs that make you feel like you're at a K-pop concert. It really is the best of both worlds, and I think it's one of the many reasons why KPop Demon Hunters is dominating the world right now. Solve the daily Crossword
Associated Press
5 hours ago
- Associated Press
'Mamma Mia!' returns to Broadway after a decade away, bringing the dance party back to New York
NEW YORK (AP) — When the musical 'Mamma Mia!' said goodbye to Broadway a decade ago, there were tears and hugs and tons of applause. In the audience of its last show, one woman wasn't entirely buying it. 'I felt then that it wasn't goodbye forever. I felt we'd be back one day,' says producer Judy Craymer, who had conceived of the show in the 1980s. 'I always hoped.' That one day has become today as the ABBA-fueled, feel-good musical returns to its first home on Broadway, the Winter Garden Theatre. It reopens Thursday night. 'It's like when you go to visit the old place where you went to high school,' says Victor Wallace, who made his Broadway debut in the show in 2012, stayed to the final curtain in 2015 and has returned. 'There's so many backstage stories and people and I'm a little overwhelmed.' Fans have fueled the return of 'Mamma Mia!' to make it among the top earners on Broadway, last week grossing $1.57 million over seven previews, fourth behind only 'Wicked,' 'The Lion King' and 'Hamilton.' 'A time of peril' 'Mamma Mia!' endured plenty during its first Broadway life — wars, hurricanes, the 2008 financial meltdown, the move to a smaller theater and critics, who never warmed to the show's high-energy sweetness. A hit in London — where it is still playing — 'Mamma Mia!' opened in New York just a few weeks after the 2001 terror attacks when there was deep gloom and anxiety. Christine Sherrill, who recently toured as the show's mom and is now making her Broadway debut in the role, says audiences are responding to another time of stress. 'We're kind of in a time of peril again, where communities are divided. So to be able to go into some of these cities and have 3,000 people — who would never find themselves enjoying the same thing outside of the theater — sitting there all enjoying this communal experience is really interesting.' The show, featuring more than 20 classic ABBA hits, including 'Dancing Queen' and 'Waterloo,' has been a smash in dozens of countries, including South Korea, Italy, Denmark, South Africa and Spain. Craymer sees the data about the new flock of theatergoers and notes this 'Mamma Mia!' is popular with groups. 'There were people that had seen it on Broadway — probably when they were younger — and now coming back in their 20s and 30s and then bringing their daughters or family.' A Greek story is born Craymer decades ago approached members of ABBA and made her pitch: Instead of doing a musical about the band, she insisted that their songs help tell an original story. Craymer teamed up with playwright Catherine Johnson, and a story set on a Greek island was born about a young woman who is about to be married and wants her father to give her away. But she's not sure who he is, so she invites her mom's three former lovers to her wedding. The musical prompted Craymer to produce a movie version starring Meryl Streep, Amanda Seyfried, Pierce Brosnan and Colin Firth, that became the fifth highest-grossing film of 2008. A sequel, 'Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again,' came out a decade later. ABBA's music continues to be the backdrop for numerous popular TikTok trends. In some way mirroring the joy onstage, backstage at 'Mamma Mia!' is a party backstage, too, with milestones celebrated, outings, door decorating contests and gatherings 'Because of the nature of the show, I think it just bleeds into life backstage and that joy that you see on stage, it just overflows into our lives,' says Wallace. Themes of the 'Mamma' Wallace, who started in the musical's ensemble and grew to play the young leading man, Sky, and now is one of the three possible dads, says the show is about friendship, parenthood, hope and second chances. 'It's always surprising how the show surprises you emotionally,' he says. 'It's a great time. It's fun. But I think people identify with these themes and these characters and I think that people are caught off guard as to how the show captures their heart and moves them.' Sherrill looks at the story through a mother's eyes and realizes she's a different person than she was before she had twins. She offers another theme. 'It's a lot about finding your identity,' she says. 'I think that appeals to people on all levels — all people, all levels. Everyone's trying to figure out who they are and what the best version of themselves is. So, I think, that's sort of a universal message that's really playing on people's heartstrings as well, at least mine.'
