Casper the Friendly Ghost Gets Ready to Haunt Disney+ with New Live Action Series

A beloved friendly ghost is getting the live-action series treatment at Disney+.

What's Happening:

• TheWrap reports that Disney+ has acquired the rights to a new TV take on the beloved character Casper the Friendly Ghost, following a competitive bidding war.
• The project hails from executive producers behind Disney's recent Goosebumps series, Rob Letterman and Hilary Winston, in addition to Steven Spielberg, who served as an EP on the 1995 Casper movie starring Christina Ricci.
• Letterman is set to direct, write, and executive produce the series, with Winston also serving as a writer and executive producer.
• Plot details remain under wraps, though the project has been described as a “modern update on the classic ghost story.”
• Fans are already hoping Christina Ricci will appear, similar to her involvement in Wednesday—a nod to her role as Wednesday Addams in The Addams Family.
• Ricci starred in Casper alongside Bill Pullman, Cathy Moriarty, Chauncey Leopardi, Spencer Vrooman, Ben Stein, and Eric Idle.
• A live-action Casper series was previously announced for Peacock in 2022, taking a different approach as a coming-of-age story exploring what it means to be alive.
• It remains unclear whether this new project evolved from that earlier version.

More Disney TV News:

• FX has released the official trailer for the return of Welcome to Wrexham, confirming the series will premiere May 14.
• Alice and Steve is coming to Hulu this June, bringing a sharp and messy comedy about friendship, betrayal and revenge.
• Michael Waldron is doubling down on Disney and giving fans a clearer idea of when they can expect the return of Chad Powers.
• Stassi Schroeder returns to reality TV this summer with House of Stassi, premiering this July on Freeform and Hulu.