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Phantom of the Paradise Stage Musical in the Works From Star Paul Williams — Bret Easton Ellis Among Potential Writers

Phantom of the Paradise, the cult classic 1974 Brian de Palma film that reworked Phantom of the Opera and starred songwriting icon Paul Williams as the

Pressman told MovieMaker that he and Williams have spoken to multiple potential writers for the stage musical, including American Psycho and The Shards author Bret Easton Ellis — though no commitments have been made. At the time de Palma enlisted him for Phantom of the Paradise, Williams was best known for writing The Carpenters’ “ We’ve Only Just Begun ” and “ Rainy Days and Mondays,” as well as Bobby Sherman’s “Cried Like a Baby” — and for clowning around on The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson. He was a largely underground filmmaker known at the time for counterculture movies like 1968’s Greetings and 1970’s Hi Mom, with a then-little-known Robert De Niro, and for the well-received 1972 horror film Sisters, with Margot Kidder.

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