The Phantom of the Opera (miniseries) Erik dies with his father and Christine at his side. Christine replaces Erik's mask and is led away by the Comte. Arthur Kopit had long been an admirer of Gaston Leroux's story, but felt that the horror premise had left out the possibility of a more compelling relationship between the two main characters. So he came up with a script in which the Phantom is a romantic hero, frightening only to those who would misuse the opera house wherein he dwells - and to those who would stand in the way of Christine's eventual rise to stardom. And he decided
Phantom of the Opera (1943 film) return, along with Claude Rains as the Phantom, most likely meaning that his character survived the cave-in at the finale of the first film (indeed, in the final shot of the mask and violin atop the rubble, there is a sound of moving rock). The sequel, however, was later cancelled due to story troubles and problems concerning the availability of Claude Rains. "The Climax" was indeed released the year after "Phantom of the Opera", but it was not a continuation of the previous film and featured completely new characters. The film was nominated for four Academy Awards, winning in two