To launch you into your weekend with some spooktastic news, Disney has officially announced a release date for Haunted Mansion. A movie with a stacked cast featuring some of Hollywood’s best and brightest, it has been revealed that we can expect to see the film in theaters everywhere in just over a year from now in March 2023.
So far signed on in starring roles to bring the story of ghosts and ghouls back to life are Danny DeVito (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia), Academy Award nominee LaKeith Stanfield (Judas and the Black Messiah), Tiffany Haddish (Girls Trip), Owen Wilson (Loki), and Rosario Dawson (Briarpatch). The studio is keeping character backgrounds to themselves, so we don’t yet know anything about whom each performer will portray. The only exception is DeVito, who has been revealed to take on the role of a curmudgeonly professor, which is sure to be a treat.
Like the cast of characters, we only know a basic amount about Haunted Mansion’s plot. So far, it has been reported that the film will center around a mother and son duo. In the market for a new dwelling, the pair feels called to the old, spooky mansion. Quickly realizing the building holds age-old secrets and mysteries within its walls, the mother and son come face to face with lost spirits still attached to the eerie abode.
Dear White People director Justin Simien will stand at the head of Haunted Mansion, which got its screenplay by Ghostbusters (2016) and Parks and Recreation writer Katie Dippold. This will be Disney’s second run at the story behind the ghostly theme park attraction following the Eddie Murphy, Nathaniel Parker, and Jennifer Tilly led 2003 creation, The Haunted Mansion. The scary comedy didn’t quite hit and was met with mediocre reviews, so it makes sense as to why the family favorite studio would want to give it another shot two decades years later.
If you need something to tide yourself over in the year until Haunted Mansion makes its way into theaters, you can check out the Disney+ special, Muppets Haunted Mansion. In the film, viewers are treated to a nail-biting story told by all of your favorite Muppets along with an all-star cast, including Darren Criss, Will Arnett, Taraji P. Henson, Yvette Nicole Brown, John Stamos, and along with others.
One more clue we have surrounding the movie is based on one of its filming locations. Shooting has taken place in both Atlanta and New Orleans, the latter possibly being a hint as the Disney Parks ride finds its foundation in New Orleans Square. Whether that means it will tie in more characters from the attraction stands to be seen, but as we now have an official release date, we can expect to hear more information surrounding the feature soon.
Haunted Mansion will hit theaters on March 10, 2023. Stay tuned to Collider for the latest news on this project!