Back in 2003, “The Haunted Mansion” hit theaters, which – similar to “Pirates of the Caribbean” – is based on a theme park attraction that has been very popular at Walt Disney World for decades (or rather, since 1969!). The whole thing looked a little different with the adaptation starring Eddie Murphy. Although “The Haunted Mansion” grossed $182 million at the box office (budget: $90 million), reviews were mixed. Hardly anyone remembers the horror piece these days.
Reason enough that Disney is launching a new live-action adaptation of their Dark Ride attraction. It will be called “Geistervilla” in Germany and will be shown in German cinemas from July 27, 2023. The film is directed by Justin Simien, creator of Dear White People. In any case, the first trailer that has now been released makes it clear that this is about one thing: a lot of scary fun!
This is “Ghost Mansion”
At the center of the action are Doctor Gabbie (Rosario Dawson) and her 9-year-old son Travis (Chase Dillon), who want to start a new life. To do this, they move into an old mansion in New Orleans, which they bought for an amazingly low price. Once on site, the duo soon realize that mysterious things are going on here. Their only way out seems to enlist the help of a local priest (Owen Wilson), who takes on the grisly goings-on with a scientist (LaKeith Stanfield), a psychic (Tiffany Haddish) and a quirky historian (Danny DeVito).
Even if the director Justin Simien wouldn’t tell you anything yet, “Geistervilla” appears in front of the camera with a familiar presence. In addition to the aforementioned Rosario Dawson (“Clerks III”), Owen Wilson (“Zoolander”), LaKeith Stanfield (“Get Out”), Tiffany Haddish (“The Card Counter”) and Chase Dillon (“The Harder They Fall”) there are other celebrities to discover in the ensemble. The cast also includes Jamie Lee Curtis (“Halloween Ends”), Jared Leto (“Morbius”), Winona Ryder (“Stranger Things”) and Dan Levy (“Schitt’s Creek”).
The original plan was for Guillermo Del Toro (“Pinocchio”) to direct a remake of the story. But his vision was too cruel and was classified by Disney as not child and family friendly. Katie Dippold (“Ghostbusters”) was then assigned to write a screenplay. And judging by the trailer, she’s put a lot of effort into doing justice to the original attraction, both fun and scary – taking into account the most popular characters, of course, including Hatbox Ghost, Madame Leote, The Phantom, and The Hitchhiking Ghosts.