Guillermo del Toro Goes from The Hobbit to ... The Haunted Mansion?
Posted 07.24.10 by Ryan
When he decided to drop out of the The Lord of the Rings prequel The Hobbit, rumors began circulating as to what director Guillermo del Toro would work on next. Some rumors claimed that he would switch his focus to vampires and work on a new Van Helsing movie, though del Toro quickly stated that he was "still in talks" about the project and was "not quite certain" he would choose the project. A couple weeks later, del Toro admitted he still was uncertain about what he would direct next and would make his final announcement at the San Diego Comic-Con. And what an announcement it was.
At the end of Disney's Tron: Legacy panel, del Toro surprised the audience when he appeared on stage and announced that his next project will be a remake of 2003's The Haunted Mansion. Originally a family-oriented comedy starring Eddie Murphy, the project seemed an odd choice for del Toro, who eased the crowd's fears by saying that his Haunted Mansion would be "the haunted house movie that a generation remembers and loves" and that "we are not returning Eddie Murphy's call."
Disney's official press release for the project states that del Toro will "write and produce" the movie, so he may yet announce what movie he will direct next. As for his version of Haunted Mansion, del Toro continued to be enthusiastic.
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!
Del Toro also revealed that the movie would be shot in live-action 3-D, but no release date was mentioned.