Upcoming New "The Phantom" Film Not A Sequel, Writer Says

December 16, 2008 10:23 a.m. EST

Los Angeles, CA (CNS) - "The Phantom" will be getting a "reboot," not a sequel, according to writer Tim Boyle.

Following the recent announcement of the sequel, darkhorizons.com asked the film's writer, who clarified that the upcoming film is not a sequel to the 1996 Billy Zane-starrer film, as previously been reported.

Instead, like "Batman Begins," the new film will take an upgraded version starting with the costume. No more purple leotard outfit for the mysterious masked avenger.

The writer told the movie website, "Like Batman Begins, where he takes a high tech spelunking suit and turns it into the basis of his costume - we're looking at making it a real world costume. Think of what Bryan Singer did with the blue and yellow Wolverine costume - that's what we have to do. Make it accessible to the public without annoying the fans too much."

There will also be two main villains for the new film, one from the comic book - from which the original movie was based on - and the other an original creation.

The 1996 Simon Wincer-directed film starred Zane in the titular role. Kristy Swanson and Catherine Zeta-Jones co-starred.