Casper the Friendly Ghost is joining the Disney lineup. Deadline reports that Disney+ is producing a new live-action series based on the beloved animated character, from the creators of their supernatural Goosebumps series.
No details on the plot of the new Casper show are available, but the series is written by Rob Letterman and Hilary Winston, who helmed Disney’s two-season Goosebumps series before it was cancelled last year. Letterman will direct the new show, described by Deadline as having a “a dark edge to it the way Wednesday tackles the Addams Family lore,” with Steven Spielberg, who served as executive producer on the 1995 film adaptation of the character, on to produce.
Casper the Friendly Ghost was originally created for a series of animated short films made by Paramount, featuring in over fifty cartoons between 1945 and 1959. The beloved ghost boy then transferred to print in Harvey Comics’ beloved series, before the company purchased the rights to the character from Paramount in 1959, leading to five different animated series produced between 1960 and 2012.
But Disney’s new series won’t be the first time Casper’s appeared in a live-action project. Kids of the ‘90s remember him from the 1995 film Casper, starring Christina Ricci and Bill Pullman as a father and daughter pair who encounter the ghost when they move into his former home. The film, which also starred Eric Idle and Cathy Moriarty, was produced by Universal, and spawned two direct-to-video sequels, one of which featured horror icon Shelley Duvall.
No release date or casting has been announced for the Casper series. Stay tuned to FANGORIA for more updates.
