The Haunted Mansion has long been a blight and a curse on the history of Disney’s attempts at turning its theme park attractions into movies. But now, it would seem that there’s a hero on the horizon, and his name is Guillermo del Toro. At Comic-Con on Thursday, the man who has spent the last few thousand years waiting to direct The Hobbit dropped in on the Tron Legacy panel announced that he would be developing a new take on the story.
And yes, it will be scary this time. Plus, no Eddie Murphy this time as the director joked, “We’re not returning his calls!”
“Dark imagery is an integral part of the Walt Disney legacy. After all, Disney himself was the father of some really chilling moments and characters - think Chernabog from Fantasia or Maleficent as the dragon or the Evil Queen in Snow White,” del Toro said in a statement. “I couldn't be more excited to be a part of my own adaptation of the original theme park attraction Walt envisioned and that remains, for me, the most desirable piece of real estate in the whole world!"
There’s no word on whether he’ll actually direct the film himself yet – after all, he has about a million other projects on his slate – but he’s involved, and that gives us all hope.
“It's going to be a thrill ride for the whole family but it's definitely going to be scary," he told The Hollywood Reporter{