There’s a brand new model of Casper the Pleasant Ghost drifting into improvement, and this one has some critical creative firepower behind it. Disney+ has formally secured a live-action Casper collection after a heated five-way bidding battle, bringing collectively a workforce that is aware of their method round supernatural storytelling.
The venture comes from Rob Letterman and Hilary Winston, the duo behind Disney+’s Goosebumps revival, together with legendary filmmaker Steven Spielberg, who beforehand government produced the 1995 Casper movie.
Common Content material Productions can also be concerned, making this an fascinating collaboration between Disney+ and Common’s TV arm.
Particulars on the story are nonetheless beneath wraps, however the collection is being described as a contemporary tackle the basic ghost story. Phrase is that it may lean right into a darker tone, much like how Wednesday reimagined The Addams Household. That ought to get followers interested in how far they’ll push this model of the famously pleasant spirit.
Letterman and Winston are writing the collection, with Letterman additionally set to direct. Each will government produce alongside Spielberg, forming a workforce that blends blockbuster expertise with sturdy TV storytelling chops.
Casper has been round for many years, first showing in animated shorts from Well-known Studios between 1945 and 1959 earlier than turning into a staple of Harvey Comics within the early ’50s.
Since then, the character has floated by way of comedian books, a number of animated collection, and naturally the 1995 live-action movie starring Christina Ricci and Invoice Pullman. That film blended live-action with CGI, and it seems like this new collection will observe the same path visually.
If the present strikes ahead, it’ll mark Common Studio Group’s first collection on Disney+, which reportedly performed a task in profitable the bidding battle. The studio has been spreading its content material throughout main platforms like Netflix, Prime Video, Apple TV+, HBO Max, and Hulu, so including Disney+ to that record suits their technique.
This isn’t even the primary try and deliver Casper again in live-action just lately. A separate model was beforehand in improvement at Peacock in 2022 however didn’t transfer ahead. This new take clearly struck the correct chord with consumers.
It’s additionally value noting that this can be a uncommon case of Disney+ selecting up a serious piece of IP that doesn’t originate from inside Disney or a e-book adaptation. If it occurs, Casper will share house on the platform with different ghostly icons, together with Zero from The Nightmare Earlier than Christmas.
Letterman’s resume contains movies like Pokémon: Detective Pikachu and Monsters vs. Aliens, whereas Winston has labored on a variety of TV comedies like Neighborhood, Joyful Endings, and My Title Is Earl. Collectively, they’ve already confirmed they will deal with spooky storytelling with a contemporary edge due to Goosebumps.
The venture continues to be in early improvement, however with this workforce concerned, this model of Casper has a robust likelihood of really materializing.
