Andrew Lloyd Webber is transforming Phantom of the Opera into an anime epic
21 August 2025, 10:29 | Updated: 21 August 2025, 11:13
The Phantom of the ‘Operanime’ is there... inside your mind.
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The Phantom of the Opera is set to be retold through anime.
The musical is the second longest running show on the West End, having been performed continuously for 38 years, and now it is finding a new lease of life.
Read more: Did you know there’s another version of Phantom of the Opera, not by Lloyd Webber?
Andrew Lloyd Webber’s company LW Entertainment – previously ‘Really Useful Group’ – has brought in Qubic Pictures’ Justin Leach (who worked on Star Wars: Visions, and Leviathan) to oversee the project.
Leach said in a statement, “I’m incredibly excited to join forces with the talented team at LW Entertainment to bring the Phantom of the Opera to life through anime. This project is a rare opportunity to unite the grandeur of musical theatre with the artistry of Japanese animation – two beloved traditions that have touched audiences around the world.
“Our goal is to create a timeless and emotionally resonant experience that speaks to a global audience and honours the legacy of this iconic story.”
Read more: Andrew Lloyd Webber dedicates final ‘Phantom of the Opera’ on Broadway to his late son
This comes as part of a larger strategy for Phantom of the Opera, as it has also become an immersive production called Masquerade, in New York. Its six-week run sold out within three hours of going on sale, Deadline reported.
Both projects are elements of “significant, global plans for The Phantom of the Opera over the coming years across live theatre, film, publishing, music, and many other areas”, LW Entertainment told Deadline, including a new YA reimagining of the story called ‘Our Strange Duet’, in partnership with Penguin Random House LLC at the end of next year.
Madeleine Lloyd Webber, Group President of LW Entertainment and LW Theatres, told Deadline, “This is a very exciting new chapter for our family business, while respecting and building upon RUG’s extraordinary legacy. The Lloyd Webber family are aligned and share the vision of LW Entertainment: to create, entertain, excite, challenge, disrupt, and inspire audiences across many art forms for generations to come.”
