New Haunted Mansion movie welcomes writer in Ghostbusters’ Katie Dippold

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

The thought of a movie based on a theme-park ride may seem like a terrible idea, but PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL showed that not only was it possible, but that it could be done extremely well. Unfortunately, that same year also saw the release of a Haunted Mansion movie starring Eddie Murphy, which was an example of how wrong a theme-park movie could go.

Well, Disney is looking at returning to THE HAUNTED MANSION once again as THR has reported that Katie Dippold, who penned THE HEAT, SNATCHED, and co-wrote GHOSTBUSTERS with Paul Feig, will write a new feature-film based on the popular ride. The Haunted Mansion debuted in 1969 and saw guests entering a creepy manor filled with supernatural frights and spooky characters. This isn't the first time that Disney has attempted a reboot of THE HAUNTED MANSION, as Guillermo del Toro was attached to co-write and produce a new take on the material for several years, but with Dippold taking on the project, it would seem that del Toro's version is dead.

When asked about the status of his HAUNTED MANSION movie by Moviefone last year, Guillermo del Toro was unsure if it would ever get made. "We have had two or three screenplays that I would have gladly shot," del Toro said. "In my opinion they were ready to be made. We’ve had a studio that has gone through a couple of seismic changes in that period. And The Haunted Mansion is not an attraction, it’s a way of life. And it’s quite significant for some of us. It’s almost like, if you get anything wrong, the whole movie is wrong. I don’t know if it’ll ever happen." The project even had Ryan Gosling attached to star, and del Toro even said that Gosling was involved in developing the script and character before everything came to a halt. Although he couldn't see himself returning to the project, del Toro said that he "would love to see a 'Haunted Mansion' movie by someone who loves it." Me too.