The Haunted Mansion, a popular attraction at Disney Parks, hasn’t seen a film adaptation since Eddie Murphy tried to sell it in 2003, directed by David Berenbaum. Though not an outright flop, it didn’t garner the success of other park ride adaptations, such as the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. However, Disney is once again taking us into the shadowy halls of the infamous mansion in their 2023 adaption helmed by Justin Simien (Dear White People) from a script by Katie Dippold (Ghostbusters 2016).
With an ensemble cast featuring the talents of Rosario Dawson (The Mandalorian), Jamie Lee Curtis (Everything Everywhere all at Once), Owen Wilson (Loki Series), Jared Leto (Dallas Buyers Club), Winona Rider (Stranger Things), Dan Levy (Schitts Creek), LaKeith Stanfield (Sorry to Bother you), Danny Devito (Always Sunny in Philadelphia) and Tiffany Haddish (Girls Trip), this adaptation is clearly swinging for the fences.
Though only a little is known about what we should expect, the most recent trailer certainly sets the tone that Disney is going for. I’m excited about another Haunted Mansion movie, even if it is not the Guillermo Del Toro version he’d been teasing since before Pacific Rim came out. I think that kids would be a little traumatized if he got to unleash his imagination, but alas.
What are your thoughts on the latest trailer? Are you excited, reserved, or indifferent? Sound off in the comments.