In some rather sad news, Universal Studios is planning on razing the legendary Stage 28 where the classic silent film Phantom of the Opera was filmed in 1925. Universal is hoping to relocate the set to another location so it can be saved and viewed by the public.
As it upgrades its production facilities and expands its theme park, Universal Studios is planning to demolish Stage 28, one of the oldest on the lot, while preserving a 90-year-old set housed in the space and used in the original 1925 silent film Phantom of the Opera.
Some legends say that the famous Stage 28 is haunted by the ghost of Lon Chaney himself, the site of his greatest screen triumph.
Rumors of the soundstage’s removal have spurred a petition drive, with nearly 2,000 signatures urging the studio to save it.
Universal said that it was in the midst of a multimillion-dollar preservation effort to save the set from Phantom of the Opera, above, and move it to another location. The studio is in discussions with museums and institutions, hoping that it will be accessible for public view wherever it ends up. Universal says that 50% or less of the set is from its original construction, with sections altered from the ’30s to the ’60s.
I truly hope something can be done with the Phantom set at the very least, it is a historic part of cinema and needs to be preserved at all costs.
Source: Variety
