Scarlett Johansson is having difficulty bringing Disney’s Tower of Terror ride to theaters as a feature film. She was first confirmed as a producer on the project in 2021. Work on the movie paused for a time after Johansson filed a lawsuit against Disney over the streaming release of Black Widow. After the lawsuit was settled, the project started moving forward again. Four years have passed since the film was announced, but there have been few updates.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Johansson explained that adapting the ride’s story into a full movie has been challenging. The ride, inspired by The Twilight Zone, has a backstory about five hotel guests who disappear after a lightning strike. Johansson said this story “doesn’t have so much to dig into,” adding, “that’s part of the mystery of the ride.” She described the project as “a hard nut to crack,” noting that the ride is more about the experience than a detailed plot. Josh Cooley, known for directing Toy Story 4, is writing the script.
The Tower of Terror ride opened at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Florida in 1994. It later came to California Adventure in 2005, but was changed to Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: Breakout! in 2017. In 1997, ABC aired a TV movie called The Tower of Terror, starring Kirsten Dunst and Steve Guttenberg. That film was based on the ride but was not linked to The Twilight Zone.
Disney announced Johansson’s Tower of Terror reboot in June 2021, just before Black Widow was released and not long before Jungle Cruise, another movie based on a Disney ride, hit theaters. Disney also announced other projects based on theme park attractions, including a Big Thunder Mountain film and a Magic Kingdom series. After Jungle Cruise and 2023’s Haunted Mansion did not perform well at the box office, Disney slowed development on these projects.
There is no clear timeline for when Tower of Terror will be released. Johansson has shown she wants to be involved in projects she produces, recently asking for her executive producer credit to be removed from Thunderbolts* because she was not involved in that film. Fans may hope Disney will release Tower of Terror near Halloween if the movie is completed.
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Karina Smitt
I'm not as much of a "CoMiCs NeEd MoAr DiVeRsItY & iNcLuSiOn" advocate as my girlfriend often is, but we both love funny books, crispy bacon, straight bourbon and hip hop. Add yet, we never vote the same, so we cancel each other out... and that works perfectly in my book!
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