Movies
Taika Waititi Directing Disney’s ‘Tower of Terror’ Movie Starring Scarlett Johansson?
It had been reported in 2021 that Scarlett Johansson would be starring in a new movie adaptation of Disney’s Tower of Terror ride, and it seems the project is still in the cards.
Variety ran a profile/interview with Scarlett Johansson today, and within the article is a quick mention that Taika Waititi is currently attached to direct Tower of Terror.
Variety writes, “Miraculously, any bad blood between Disney and Johansson has dissipated. The 38-year-old actress remains in business with the studio on the planned Tower of Terror, based on its popular theme park ride, with Taika Waititi attached to direct. And she still visits Disney World at least 10 times a year and geeks out when talking about the studio’s movies.”
This isn’t the first time we’ve heard rumblings of Waititi being attached to Tower of Terror, but it’s the first time in a while. Stay tuned for more on this story as we learn it.
Last we heard, Josh Cooley (Toy Story 4) was writing the script.
Also known as The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, the attraction is a drop tower dark ride that was launched at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in July 1994, subsequently being added to Tokyo DisneySea, Walt Disney Studios Park, and for a time, Disney California Adventure. As explained by Wikipedia, the rides “place riders in a seemingly ordinary hotel elevator, and present the riders with a fictional backstory in which people have mysteriously disappeared from the elevator under the influence of some supernatural element many years previously.”
As you may recall, the Tower of Terror ride was turned into a made-for-television movie back in 1997, which starred Steve Guttenberg and Kirsten Dunst. It was actually Disney’s first foray into turning theme park attractions into feature films, which of course paved the way for subsequent movies including The Haunted Mansion and the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.
A new movie adaptation of The Haunted Mansion is also on the way from Disney.
It’s now been five years since the release of sequel Happy Death Day 2U, Christopher Landon’s sequel to the Groundhog Day-style slasher movie from 2017. Both films star Jessica Rothe as final girl Tree Gelbman, and director Christopher Landon had been planning on bringing the character – and the actor – back for a third installment. So… where is it?!
We’ve been talking about a potential Happy Death Day 3 for several years now, with the ball in producer Jason Blum’s court. Happy Death Day 2U scared up $64 million at the worldwide box office, a far cry from the first film’s $125 million. But with a reported production budget of just $9 million, that first sequel was profitable for Blumhouse. So again… where is it?!
Chatting with Screen Geek this week while promoting her new action-thriller Boy Kills World, franchise star Jessica Rothe provided a hopeful update on Happy Death Day 3.
“Well, I can say Chris Landon has the whole thing figured out,” Rothe explains. “We just need to wait for Blumhouse and Universal to get their ducks in a row.
Rothe continues in her comments to Screen Geek, “But my fingers are so crossed. I think Tree [Gelbman] deserves her third and final chapter to bring that incredible character and franchise to a close or a new beginning.”
Back in 2020, Christopher Landon had revealed that the working title for the third installment was Happy Death Day to Us, said to be “different than the other two films.”
In the meantime, Christopher Landon is directing a mysterious thriller titled Drop for Blumhouse and Platinum Dunes, along with a werewolf movie titled Big Bad for Lionsgate.
‘Infested’ Review – One of the Best Spiders Attack Horror Movies in Years
Dev Patel’s ‘Monkey Man’ Is Now Available to Watch at Home!
Five Underseen Vampire Horror Movies to Stream This Week
‘Stream’ – Horror Movie from the Team Behind ‘Terrifier’ Sets August Theatrical Release
Limited Edition ‘Creature from the Black Lagoon’ Monster High Doll Releasing This Week!
You must be logged in to post a comment.