Disney may have found a director for its planned Haunted Mansion film. The studios is in talks with Justin Simien to helm the new film based on the classic Disney Parks attraction, according to Deadline.
- Some of Simien’s notable credits include the critically acclaimed film Dear White People as well as the Sundance horror film Bad Hair, which was acquired by Hulu last year.
- Disney has tried multiple times over the years to get another screen adaptation off the ground, including a version directed by Guillermo del Torro that was announced back in 2010.
- The attraction previously inspired the 2003 comedy film The Haunted Mansion that starred Eddie Murphy as a real estate agent whose family got swept up in breaking a curse on the residence of 999 happy haunts.
- Deadline also reports that this will be a “completely different take as a film that stands on its own.”
- Late last year, we learned that Katie Dippold penned the script for the upcoming film.
- As recently as 2015, the project was still in development with Ryan Gosling in talks to be part of the film’s cast.
- Rideback is co-producing the film with Disney and most recently worked with them on the live-action Aladdin.
- Dan Lin and Jonathan Eirich will be producing under Rideback with Nick Reynolds executive producing.