LW
Entertainment,
formerly known as Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Really Useful Group, announced on
Wednesday a collaboration with Qubic Pictures and its
founder Justin Leach, recognized for his work as co-executive
producer on the anthology Star Wars: Visions and as showrunner
of the Eden and Leviathan animes. The goal of this
partnership is to explore the development of an anime adaptation of
Lloyd Webber's acclaimed musical The Phantom of the Opera.
This
project is part of a series of new film and television productions inspired by
both The Phantom of the Opera and other works by Lloyd Webber.
Bridge
of musical theatre and Japanese animation
Justin
Leach expressed his excitement about the challenge: "It's a unique
opportunity to bring together the greatness of musical theatre with the art of
Japanese animation. We want to create a timeless and emotionally powerful
experience that resonates around the world, paying homage to the legacy of this
iconic story."
The
Phantom of the Opera debuted
in London's West End in 1986 and on Broadway in 1988, becoming
one of the most awarded musicals in history. The plot follows Christine
Daaé and the enigmatic Phantom who lives under the Paris Opera. The
work is based on the novel of the same name by Gaston Leroux,
originally published as a serial between 1909 and 1910. In 2010, the musical
received a sequel titled Love Never Dies, which premiered in the
West End.
Qubic
Pictures' legacy in animation
Qubic
Pictures, in collaboration with Studio Orange, premiered the Leviathan anime
on Netflix on July 10. In addition, the company worked with
Disney and Lucasfilm on the successful anthology Star Wars: Visions,
whose first installment, made up of nine shorts created by Japanese studios
such as Trigger, Kinema Citrus and Production I.G, was released in September
2021 on Disney+.
The second
season, released on May 4, 2023, incorporated studios from all over the world,
and a Volume 3 has already been confirmed for next year, with
the participation of ANIMA, david production, Polygon Pictures, Project Studio
Q and Wit Studio.
