Not sure how this one escaped my radar, but it did. French filmmaker Christophe Gans has tired of trying to get his videogame Onimusha off the ground and turned his attention to Fantomas – a 21st century re-imagining of a figure made most famous by Louis Feuillade.

Fantomas is based on the novels by Marcel Allain and Pierre Souvestre and they were a massive pop culture hit in France all the way to the 1960s. Back in the 1910s, Fantomas was an even bigger hit with the Surrealists, what with him being a master of disguise and totally amoral.

Gans is looking at Vincent Cassel to star along with Jean Reno and according to Worst Previews, it’s going to be a 3D extravaganza and shot in English and French. A teaser poster has been released to get everybody mildly excited. Might be one for genre fans only, but with Gans’ penchant for action and horror, this could be very cool indeed. And Cassel would be a great choice as the eponymous villain.

If you can manage watching a silent film, then Feuillade’s Fantomas has been released on DVD. You’ll be surprised at how entertaining it is And for the record, I thought Silent Hill was great.