Carl Laemmle
Universal first announced a remake of "The Phantom of the Opera" in 1935. Set to be directed by Anatole Litvak, this version would have been set in contemporary Paris, and would have portrayed the Phantom as a psychologically wounded World War I veteran who was physically unharmed, but imagined that he was disfigured. However, development lingered as the studio faced financial problems that resulted in the ousting of the original film's producer Carl Laemmle and his son, Carl Laemmle Jr.