Disney's The Haunted Mansion Invites Rosario Dawson Through The Front Gates
Rosario Dawson is the latest addition to the growing ensemble of "The Haunted Mansion." The upcoming Disney movie, based on the popular theme park attraction, has been revealing cast members for a few weeks now, starting with the July announcement of Tiffany Haddish and LaKeith Stanfield. Just yesterday, Owen Wilson was added to the cast and the group is now joined by Dawson. With the cast settling into place, the movie is planning to begin shooting early next month.
Overall, Rosario Dawson has a pretty full slate of exciting projects. Fans of the actress have plenty to look forward, including the upcoming opioid invested Hulu miniseries "Dopesick," and "DMZ," the Ava DuVernay dystopian drama based on a comic book series of the same name. Dawson will also reprise the role of Ahsoka Tano in the Star Wars spin-off series for Disney+.
What To Expect From The Haunted Mansion
Little is known about the plot of "The Haunted Mansion," with our best guesses for the movie coming from Disney's last attempt at turning this attraction into a blockbuster: 2003's Eddie Murphy-led film of the same name.
Lately, turning rides into movies has been going pretty well for the studio but back then, it resulted in a bad movie starring a great actor. Murphy's film was attempting to find a middle ground between comedy and horror, but audiences agreed that neither were accomplished. This time around, we're guessing the approach will be somewhat similar: a family movie with scares and laughs.
This certainly isn't the kind of cast anyone could put together from the top of their head, but it's shaping up to be pretty interesting. By now, we all know how hilarious Haddish is, so comedy is definitely covered — plus the rest of the cast can definitely hold their own when it comes to humor. Horror elements will likely be incorporated by director Justin Simien, coming off of his horror debut with the 2019 movie, "Bad Hair." Simien previously wrote and directed the 2014 film "Dear White People," and served as creator of the 2017 series based on his film.
As for "The Haunted Mansion" script, this movie will be the fourth penned by comedy writer Katie Dippold. She made her feature debut with the Melissa McCarthy/Sandra Bullock movie, "The Heat," co-wrote the 2016 "Ghostbusters" reboot and most recently wrote the 2017 Amy Schumer-led "Snatched."
"The Haunted Mansion" seems like a pretty mixed bag, but maybe it's worth being optimistic. "Jungle Cruise" sounded pretty wild upon its initial announcement, but ended up being an entertaining, solid adventure. Of course, its worth noting that this was largely due to the magnetic performances of its leads, Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt. In that case, this reboot stands a pretty good chance. Its not relying on any one of its performers, but showcasing the talents of its ensemble — all of whom have proven themselves as interesting performers. Hopefully, history repeats itself "Jungle Cruise"-style instead of this film following in the footsteps of the first "Haunted Mansion" disaster.