As Netflix showcases, the age of streaming has reinvented how franchises are created. Feature films can now be complemented by episodic companion pieces, prequels, or continuations. They aren’t restricted to live-action, either.
Disney Plus has joined the movement thanks to the expansion of Marvel Cinematic Universe and Star Wars into television. It’s something the streamer will lean on as the Mouse House’s platform deliver’s on the promise of at least 100 original projects annually.
We’re now hearing from sources – –the same ones who told us Hayden Christensen would return in Obi-Wan Kenobi long before it was confirmed — that The Haunted Mansion could be next in line for shared universe treatment. A theatrical reboot is in the works (with LaKeith Stanfield and Tiffany Haddish set to star) but the world-building doesn’t stop on the big screen.
National Treasure 3 was announced to be in development alongside a TV show, although the latter stands a much better chance of happening first. Also, an animated Night at the Museum movie will act as an official follow up to the Ben Stiller franchise. Additionally, the Willow sequel series will pick up where the original left off over 30 years ago.
All of those titles are in various stages of development or production for Disney Plus, so as redundant as the idea of The Haunted Mansion spinning off into multiple directions may sound, it’s clearly an approach the company investigating.
