Guillermo Del toro will be producing a new version of The Haunted Mansion. This is after several experiences that made him make this decision. Del Toro is also making a remake of Don’t Be Afraid of the dark once again he will be producing this one.
Guillermo Del Toro told Slashfilm.
I went to Disneyland the first time when I was three years old, and I was a lump of fat about this big. And I fortunately was there the year the mansion opened, and I’ve been there every year at least once for the rest of my life. It’s one of those places that I go to… Literally, that’s how freaky I am, unfortunately.
This is a place where I go to when I need to think, when I need to relax and unwind. When we were going through the worst process of Mimic in 1997, we were doing post in Los Angeles and I would go on the weekend and ride it over and over again.
And to me, my man cave, my little house that I have… I have my own Haunted Mansion room with the gargoyles, the wallpaper, original art by Marc Davis, and so on and so forth. And I always felt that the Haunted Mansion told such stories without having to be done solely as a horror film. I thought that the clash or the poignancy of Claude Coates, Rolly, and Marc Davis created a unique flavor for the Mansion.
I would love to say we are doing the movie, it’s live-action. It is going to be in 3D. And we’re making the Haunted Mansion the most haunted place on Earth. And we are doing it by being true to the spirit and the art and the aesthetic of the original Imagineers that created the mansion. We are not returning Eddie Murphy’s calls.
And we are not making it a comedy. We are making it into an e-ticket ride. We are going to make it scary and fun at the same time. But the scary will be scary. And to me, the mansion has to become the haunted house movie that a generation remembers and loves after being created by us. We are doing this by reintroducing… the mythology in the mansion will be done, and this is really for the hardcore fans, it is going to be created around the character we are reintroducing into the tale. And it is my biggest hope that we can reintroduce it right. And that is the Hatbox Ghost.
I always loved his image. I think he is one of the scariest creations, but he is also incredibly whimsical. What I decided was, in the talks with Disney, that this would be the pivotal character to reintroduce the mythology. And I said, please, this is going to be scary. If you take the children, they will scream. But we hope that happens.
And it’s a litmus test of character. This, to me, is a dream come true, and I hope to steal as many props as possible.
Here is a synopsis of the film.
Since August 1969, foolish mortals have dared to trespass on the macabre grounds of Disney’s Haunted Mansion. A hallowed landmark in Disneyland’s New Orleans square, it’s the dwelling place of 999 happy haunts dying to meet new visitors each day. The plantation-style of the mansion’s facade is a sweet deception for visitors. Inside, ghostly doom buggies line the hallways. Since its construction, the mysteries of the mansion have transcended the attraction with stories surfacing about horrifying encounters with the supernatural. Versions of the daunting edifice have been built at other Disney theme parks in Orlando , Tokyo and Paris.
Guillermo del Toro is my new HERO!