Development
The story idea for the original film came to Don Coscarelli in a dream; one night, in his late teens, he dreamed of fleeing down endlessly long marble corridors, pursued by a chrome sphere intent on penetrating his skull with a wicked needle. There was also a quite futuristic "sphere dispenser" out of which the orbs would emerge and begin chasing him.
Originally writer-director Don Coscarelli considered the first film's ending to be conclusive and did not feel knowledgeable about writing a sequel, but Coscarelli had what he described as a breakthrough when he realized that he could start the film immediately after the previous film's final scene. He also added a road movie element in how Reggie and Mike combat the Tall Man, after which he described the process as straightforward. [1] Coscarelli has later revealed that some elements of this movie were influenced by Stephen King, especially a few aspects of his novel 'Salem's Lot'. For instance, the end of the novel, when the characters go out on the road chasing down vampires, gave him the "road movie" idea of Mike and Reggie chasing The Tall Man.
Universal Studios, who took an interest in the film because they wanted a horror series, allocated three million dollars; this was the lowest budget of any of their films in the 1980s, but it was the highest budget of any Phantasm film. Greg Nicotero and Robert Kurtzman, later of K.N.B. EFX, were recruited for special effects. [2] The studio exerted much control over the film, and they did not allow Coscarelli to include any dream sequences or ambiguity. [3] The executives also wanted to recast both A. Michael Baldwin and Reggie Bannister because they were unknown and had been out of the movie business since the release of the first movie. Don Coscarelli resisted their efforts and was forced to audition A. Michael Baldwin and Reggie Bannister for the opportunity to reprise their roles. In the end, his efforts won him a concession: he was allowed to keep one of the two, but had to replace the other; Coscarelli chose to keep Bannister and cast James Le Gros in Baldwin's place. After the mild box-office results of Phantasm II (1988), Universal Studios chose not to personally pursue a sequel but did offer to distribute it should Don Coscarelli and associates make it themselves.
With no casting restrictions this time, Coscarelli offered the role of Mike to his original performer, A. Michael Baldwin, who returned to the role after almost 16 years in Phantasm III: Lord of the Dead.
Roger Avary, a self-confessed hardcore fan of the Phantasm series, wrote an epic screenplay originally called "Phantasm 1999 A.D." as a follow-up to Phantasm III: Lord of the Dead (1994). It was set in a post-apocalyptic near future, featuring Bruce Campbell as a co-star. As the time passed and they couldn't get the budget needed (around $10 million) Don Coscarelli wrote and directed a fourth installment titled Phantasm IV: Oblivion as a precursor to the project, that was conveniently re-titled "Phantasm 2012 A.D." before renaming the planned film as “Phantasm's End.” Ultimately, when the financing for such an ambitious sequel couldn't be secured, the idea was scrapped altogether.
In 2004, six years after the release of Phantasm IV: Oblivion , series director Don Coscarelli told Fangoria , "I'd also still like to do another Phantasm film. Reggie Bannister and Angus Scrimm are still in great shape and raring to go." [4]
In March 2005, Coscarelli was in the final stages of talks with New Line Cinema to produce a new entry. Reportedly, the new film was "being developed as a relaunch and as a possible trilogy about Mike's coming of age." [5] This version never came to fruition.
Rumors about a sequel were reignited in June 2007 by footage contained in Don Coscarelli's Farewell to the Alamo Drafthouse, featuring Angus Scrimm and A. Michael Baldwin in their roles. In an interview, Reggie Bannister stated there was no activity or development of a fifth film but that anything was possible in the future. [6]
In June 2012, rumors again surfaced that Coscarelli would begin a new Phantasm sequel. According to a report on Dread Central, the script was completed and filming would begin later in the year. [7] Coscarelli disputed this claim, publicly stating, "I have no solid news to report on a new project now." [7] The director, however, was being coy with film news sites. According to what Coscarelli and new co-writer-director David Hartman told Entertainment Weekly , the film was shot secretly [8] in and around southern California during 2012 and 2013. [9]
On March 26, 2014, news of Ravager's completion was released via various film news sites. The next day, a trailer debuted on the film's official site. [10] In a 2014 "sneak peek" video preview on the official Phantasm website, director Hartman mentioned in quick passing, "This thing is going to be in the can 2015... for sure." [11] By October 2015, Ravager was completed and awaited a distributor. [12] [13]
