Haunted Mansion Director Says Disney Axed the Movie's Original

Haunted Mansion's Justin Simien reveals that the supernatural comedy's planned downbeat finale didn't survive the "Disney machine."

Disney shot down Haunted Mansion's original, darker ending, according to the supernatural comedy reboot's director, Justin Simien.

Simien recalled how he accurately predicted that studio executives wouldn't approve of the film's planned downbeat finale in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. "The epilogue [in the finished film] was certainly a late addition," he said. "The first version of the movie that I encountered had a bit more of a darker ending, one that I actually really respected and enjoyed, but I correctly guessed that it maybe wouldn't get past the sort of Disney machine. But once we cast [lead actor] LaKeith [Stanfield], there was something that changed about what I personally needed from the ending of the movie. Frankly, I didn't want to see a Black man have a tragic end in a movie like this."

"I wanted him to have hope at the end of the movie," Simien continued. "And a tragic end for a Black character would've been really hard to swallow, at least for me right now. So we went with something a bit more hopeful, but there was probably something to the other version as well." Haunted Mansion's uplifting ending ultimately did little to improve its critical and commercial performance, though. The movie opened to largely negative reviews and, at the time of writing, has earned less than $40 million worldwide off the back of a $150 million budget. This has led at least one box office analyst to declare that Disney "missed the memo" by releasing Haunted Mansion during summer blockbuster season.

Haunted Mansion Director on the Possibility of a Sequel

Simien nevertheless remains optimistic about the possibility of a Haunted Mansion sequel. The director said as much in a recent interview, noting that the supernatural comedy lays the groundwork for a follow-up film. "It definitely leaves a door open for more and for other spaces where, you know, ghosts might materialize," Simien said. It's worth noting that Disney is yet to publicly comment on its plans for the future of the Haunted Mansion franchise (if any) and a sequel is not officially in development at this stage.

In the event that Haunted Mansion 2 gets the thumbs up, Simien will presumably make the most of another opportunity to reference the franchise's theme park ride origins. This would track with his approach to the Haunted Mansion reboot, which includes several Easter Eggs linked to the original attraction, such as a portrait painting that ages over the course of the film.