Disney is working on another family-friendly spookfest, as they prepare to bring The Haunted Mansion to the big screen once again.

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The popular attraction at Disneyland takes park attendees on a creepy tour through an old manor house, populated by a number of supernatural beings.

The ride inspired a film adaptation in 2003, which starred Eddie Murphy and Marsha Thomason as estate agents called out to the mansion, who discover its dark secrets after being trapped there for one fateful night.

However, the film failed to impress critics and underperformed at the box office, meaning Disney is heading in an all-new direction with this second attempt.

The studio has hired Katie Dippold to write its Haunted Mansion reboot, who broke out on the beloved sitcom Parks and Recreation, before penning Sandra Bullock cop comedy The Heat.

She is perhaps best known for writing the 2016 reboot of Ghostbusters, starring Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones as a new incarnation of the team.

The film saw a generally mixed reception from critics and fans, with a planned sequel ultimately scrapped in favour of the upcoming Ghostbusters: Afterlife.

Still, Dippold's experience writing on a supernatural theme may well come in handy, as she's faced with the difficult challenge of finding the right balance of scary moments for Disney's family demographic.

The studio has previously adapted another theme park ride, Pirates of the Caribbean, into a hugely successful film franchise starring Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow.

A reboot of that franchise is currently in the works, seeing Margot Robbie reunite with her Birds of Prey writer Christina Hodson for the project.

Also in the pipeline for next summer is Jungle Cruise, starring Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt, inspired by the Disneyland ride of the same name.

Academy Award-winning director Guillermo del Toro had previously been attached to a reimagining of The Haunted Mansion, but it is unclear whether he is still involved.

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The Haunted Mansion is available to stream on Disney Plus. Sign up to Disney Plus for £5.99 a month or £59.99 a year, or check out our TV Guide for something else to watch.

Authors

David Craig
David CraigSenior Drama Writer

David Craig is the Senior Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest and greatest scripted drama and comedy across television and streaming. Previously, he worked at Starburst Magazine, presented The Winter King Podcast for ITVX and studied Journalism at the University of Sheffield.

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