Disney is inviting audiences to take the ride to the other side in the new trailer for Haunted Mansion.
Inspired by the classic theme park attraction, the new Haunted Mansion trailer features plenty of previously unseen footage. In Haunted Mansion, a woman (Daredevil's Rosario Dawson) and her son (Chase W. Dillon) enlist a motley crew of so-called spiritual experts to help rid their home of supernatural squatters. As the trailer shows, it looks like the spiritual experts end up trapped in the haunted mansion with Dawson's character and her son, leading them on the supernatural adventure of their lives. The trailer also features plenty of The Hatbox Ghost, portrayed by Jared Leto, who is arguably the franchise's most recognizable spirit.
Justin Simien (Dear White People) directed Haunted Mansion from a screenplay by Katie Dippold (2016's Ghostbusters). The upcoming film will be the second adaptation of The Haunted Mansion attraction, which has been in operation at Disneyland, and other Disney theme parks, since 1969. Disney previously adapted the attraction into a 2003 film starring Eddie Murphy, which was a moderate success at the box office despite receiving negative reviews from critics.
While some fans have expressed interest in seeing Murphy cameo in the new film, the acclaimed actor revealed in a recent interview that he refused to return for the reboot, joking, "I did a Haunted Mansion movie, and it wasn't very good, so I don't know if they want to bring the old baggage and have me stinking up the new one. My Haunted Mansion was not all that and a bag of chips."
Jamie Lee Curtis Calls Haunted Mansion "Yummy"
Jamie Lee Curtis, who is no stranger to starring in Disney films (Freaky Friday, Beverly Hills Chihuahua), previously hyped up Simien's take on Haunted Mansion, referring to it as "yummy." In an October 2022 interview, Curtis -- who portrays the ghostly Medium Madame Leota in Haunted Mansion -- remarked, "I barely cook. I attempt cooking all the time, and it's all ingredients, and then the mix and the time, and it's always hard to know, are you going to make something yummy? And from what I'm seeing, and what I've heard, [director Justin Simien] has made something yummy." She also promised that the upcoming reboot will feel "modern" and "fresh," and "scary like a Disney ride."
Who Else Stars in Haunted Mansion?
Joining Dawson, Dillon, Leto and Curtis in Haunted Mansion will be LaKeith Stanfield as Ben, a paranormal tour guide; Tiffany Haddish as Harriet, a psychic; Owen Wilson as Kent, a priest; and Danny DeVito as Bruce, a historian. Together, the four represent the spiritual experts Dawson will call in to help rid the titular mansion of its haunts. Dan Levy, Hasan Minhaj and Winona Ryder are also reportedly part of the cast, although their respective roles remain undisclosed at this time.
Haunted Mansion opens in theaters on July 28.
Source: YouTube