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Say what you will about director Joel Schumacher's Phantom of the Opera (we have a feeling these comments mostly fall in the "flop" or "sucks" veins), but it could've been far, far worse. An operative tips us to a flight of casting fancy that might've killed off the musical movie-adaptation genre forever:

I was reminded of several years ago when Phantom was still in development at WB, a high ranking Lady VP there, who was in our social circle then, was completely in the dark about Phantom's mystique. We did our best to clue the exec into the history of the Webber stage spectacle and it's chandelier schtick, etc. Afterwards, the highly paid VP started to brainstorm about casting and in a career-defining and sobering moment (for me anyway) actually uttered the words: "Too bad Keanu can't sing."

OK, say it with us now: "Whoa. I know opera." But if the VP really wanted to go high concept and was committed to the idea of Reeves, she could've pitched, "Phantom of the Opera, but instead of the Phantom singing, he's a bass player in a shitty alt-rock band. You know, in a totally hip, Josie and the Pussycats kind of way."