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Long before the caped crusaders Batman and Spider-Man made their mark, there was the Phantom. This iconic character, crafted by Lee Falk in 1936, once captivated audiences, appearing in 500 newspapers and garnering the attention of 100 million readers globally each day. It wasn’t until 1996 that the Phantom leapt onto the big screen in a Hollywood superhero film, with Billy Zane donning the mask of the enigmatic vigilante.
Paramount Pictures
In the film “The Phantom,” Zane portrays Kit Walker, the 21st in his family’s line to assume the mantle of the Ghost Who Walks, dedicated to combating evil. His main adversary is the wealthy and sinister Xander Drax, played by Treat Williams, who seeks to unite powerful mystical skulls to dominate the world. This high-energy adventure resembles an Indiana Jones escapade, only with a purple-clad hero. Alongside the Phantom in his mission is his former flame, Diana Palmer, portrayed by Kristy Swanson, who aids him in battling Drax and his minions.
Despite its vibrant, comic-book-like aesthetics, “The Phantom” failed to capture the audience’s imagination. The film, produced with a $45 million budget, only grossed $17.3 million in the U.S. Although Zane was contracted for two sequels, the lackluster box office performance and tepid reviews led Paramount Pictures to abandon plans for a continuation.
Billy Zane’s career is dotted with memorable roles across a spectrum of films, from “Back to the Future” to the epic “Titanic” and even the cult-favorite “Sniper” series. Rather than being disheartened by the commercial flop or mixed reception of “The Phantom,” Zane holds his portrayal of the classic comic book hero in high regard.
In a 2024 interview with The A.V. Club, Zane reflected on his role as Kit Walker, describing it as “one of his favorite characters” and a tribute to an earlier era of Hollywood. He expressed his fondness for adventure, noting its importance to young audiences. “I was raised on adventure,” Zane remarked, “and I think it’s so easily overlooked as how critical it is to young boys and girls. Thank goodness it’s still in the fiber of [Steven] Spielberg and will always be there to that degree, but action has kind of eclipsed adventure, and this was truly a nod to classic Hollywood cinema.”
Billy Zane loved playing the Phantom
Paramount Pictures
Look over Billy Zane’s career and a number of banger performances in flicks of various quality pop out. From “Back to the Future” to “Titanic” and even the cheesy-cool “Sniper” movies, the actor has done it all. One would think that the box office failure, or the so-so reception toward “The Phantom,” would sour him on his turn as a classic comic hero, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.
Speaking to The A.V. Club in 2024, Zane called Kit Walker “one of his favorite characters” and how the movie was a love letter to a different time in Hollywood. “I was raised on adventure, and I think it’s so easily overlooked as how critical it is to young boys and girls,” the actor said. “Thank goodness it’s still in the fiber of [Steven] Spielberg and will always be there to that degree, but action has kind of eclipsed adventure, and this was truly a nod to classic Hollywood cinema.”
What most fans don’t know is how Zane pursued the role of the Phantom for almost a decade. As he revealed to Film Scout in 1996, he heard about plans for a movie as early as the late ’80s. “I read the ‘Phantom’ comics when I was in Australia shooting ‘Dead Calm’ and when one of the crew told me that there were plans for a movie, I went for it,” he said. That’s a love that can’t be forgotten.