Black Panther writer is bringing the first costumed superhero to life in new TV show

The Ghost Who Walks is about to live again as plans are underway for a TV series based on one of the first-ever superheroes!

When one mentions superheroes, people think of DC or Marvel. However, newspaper comic strips paved the way for those costumed heroes with their own champions. Now, one of the biggest ever is getting the live-action treatment, as Variety reports a TV series based on The Phantom is in the works.

The show is in development by the Hearst-owned King Features, who also produces the still-running comic strip. It will be directed and produced by Reginald Hudlin, who has experience with comics, having written an acclaimed arc of Black Panther.

Created in 1936 by Lee Falk (who would continue to write the series until his death in 1999), The Phantom remains one of the few comic strips of that era still running continuously to this day. It boasts a global readership of 29 million, including overseas, and, at one point, claimed 100 million readers daily.

King Features president C.J. Kettler told Variety that this is part of a plan for new projects based on the character that will include “a significant immersive location-based entertainment experience” that will be announced later this year.

“The development of a live-action series for the iconic comic strip The Phantom marks a pivotal expansion to meet the current cultural zeitgeist for this brand. By partnering with award-nominated director Reginald Hudlin, who possesses a deep reverence for the comic industry and source material itself, we are confident this adaptation will meet the high expectations of both longtime and new fans globally.”

For fans of this iconic character, seeing him return to live-action is a fantastic revival of a classic hero!

Why The Phantom works for TV

The Phantom has captivated readers thanks to his terrific origins. In the 16th century, a young boy survived an attack by pirates, washing up on the shores of Africa. He was taken in by a native tribe, who taught him the ways of the jungle. The boy swore an oath that he would dedicate his life to fighting piracy and evil, and “his sons shall follow him and their sons as well.”

Thus, the legacy of the Phantom has been passed down, father to son, for over twenty generations. Because each Phantom wears the identical costume of a purple bodysuit, black mask, ring, and belt with a skull emblem, the natives of the area believe it’s been the same man all these centuries. That explains his nickname “The Ghost Who Walks.”

The character has appeared in numerous forms of media, including the animated series Defenders of the Earth (teaming him with other King Features heroes like Flash Gordon and Mandrake) and the Phantom 2040 show. Besides some 1940s serials, the character got a major spotlight in a 1996 feature film starring Billy Zane in the title role with a then-unknown Catherine Zeta-Jones among the cast. It was to be the start of a franchise, but it underperformed at the box office.

The character continues not just in comic strips but in several comic book series that often take unique approaches (such as a Phantom with no sons to pass the mantle to). It’s early yet, so it’s unclear if this show will keep to the original strip and be set in the 1930s or bring it into the modern-day. It would be amazing to see how the character has changed in the 21st century and even the possibility that it’s a woman in the role instead.

The show can easily feature exotic locales for the Phantom's adventures across Africa and overseas. A TV show can also give the character more of a spotlight, as it's easy to see episodes that flash back to the adventures of previous Phantoms. There's even the potential for the show to be more of an anthology, with each episode spotlighting a different Phantom in a different century.

It’s still in the early stages, so no word on any casting or where the series may land. However, it’s long past time one of the first costumed heroes got a new lease on life. As fans of the character know, the Phantom never truly dies and is ready to live on again in live-action.

The Phantom 1996 streaming on Pluto TV and Hoopla.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow