While reboots and remakes are definitely getting made a lot closer to the original that they used to be, it’s only seven years since Disney tried and failed to turn their popular Haunted Mansion theme park ride into a film franchise, starring Eddie Murphy. Undeterred they want to have another go, and to help them they’ve roped in Guilermo Del Toro to co-write and produce it, and he may also direct (which it has to be said, seems a bit of a step down from The Hobbit, although the ride is apparently one of Del Toro’s obsessions).
The director showed up as a surprise guest at Comic-Con to publicly announce the new live-action 3D film, telling THR beforehand that “It’s going to be a thrill ride for the whole family but it’s definitely going to be scary. (Walt) Disney is one of the creators of some of the scariest images in my childhood. People forget that he not only made sweet images but also images of nightmare. We need to honour that side of the legacy.”
The movie will have no connection to the Eddie Murphy offering (no surprise there), and is likely to revolve around the Hat Box Ghost from the ride. However don’t expect the film anytime soon, as Del Toro apparently wants to spend plenty of time designing a complex, visually stylised world for the mansion to reside in, as well as ensuring the script is perfect.
Disney also sent out a press release announcing the movie, which included the teaser art they used at the Comic-Con panel, and you can see that below.