Disney pulled off a major coup at San Diego Comic-Con yesterday by announcing that Guillermo Del Toro is set to produce and write a new version of Haunted Mansion. The best news? No sign of Eddie Murphy anywhere.
The movie itself will focus on the Hatbox Ghost, a character described as “an elderly ghost in a cloak and top hat, leaning on a cane with a wavering hand and clutching a hatbox in the other.” It appears that this guy will be our guide to the origins of the Haunted Mansion.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter Del Toro spoke some words on his vision for the new movie, “It’s going to be a thrill ride for the whole family but it’s definitely going to be scary,” he said. “(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 honor that side of the legacy.”
No word on whether Del Toro will direct the feature, but it’s more likely that he won’t. With movies based on Pirates of the Caribbean and this I call dibs on adapting Rivers of America.
