Disney's Haunted Mansion movie to be helmed by Dear White People director

Disney's upcoming movie based on its Haunted Mansion theme park ride has found its director – Dear White People helmer Justin Simien will lead the project, Deadline reports.

The attraction, which sees visitors enter a spooky manor that houses several classic characters, has been a fixture at the theme park since 1969 and currently appears in both Disney Land and Disney World. The House of Mouse has made a Haunted Mansion movie before, too – released in 2003, The Haunted Mansion stars Eddie Murphy as a workaholic father whose attempts at planning a family vacation go awry, but this new project will reportedly be a completely different take as a movie that stands on its own. 

Simien's debut feature film, Dear White People, which he wrote, produced, and directed, won an award for breakthrough talent at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival. In 2017, it was adapted into a Netflix series with Simien acting as creator and executive producer – it's currently in production on its fourth season. His follow-up movie, Bad Hair, is a satirical comedy horror and stars Jay Pharoah, Lena Waithe, and Kelly Rowland. 

Simien is also heavily involved with the upcoming Disney Plus series, Lando, which will center on the Star Wars character of the same name who was portrayed by Billy Dee Williams in the original trilogy and Donald Glover in Solo: A Star Wars Story.

While we wait for the Haunted Mansion movie to hit the big screen, check out our list of the best movies on Disney Plus that you can stream right now.