No company owns more valuable brands and properties than Disney. The Mouse House boasts Marvel, Star Wars, Mickey Mouse and dozens and dozens more that the average person is very familiar with. In recent years, the company has focused on reimagining these culture touchstones, mostly to great success. So, it should come as no surprise that one of its most beloved theme park rides, Tower Of Terror, is getting its own movie.
Not a whole lot is known about the specifics of the upcoming project, but we do know the Disney thumbs up came following a treatment written by John August. He’s probably best known for his work on Big Fish, and apparently, he figured out a sweet way to adapt the popular theme park ride to the big screen. It’ll, of course, follow travelers in an expensive hotel who lose their way, though exactly how much of it will take place in an elevator is the big unknown. Deadline is calling it a "haunted house picture", which would lead one to believe much of the flick will take place in the rest of the hotel.
Another big mystery surrounding the project is what it’ll be rated and how intense it’ll be. Will Tower Of Terror be a haunted house picture for children or will it be a full blown scary movie that sneaks into PG-13 territory? Disney’s most popular franchise, Pirates Of The Caribbean, snagged a PG-13 rating, though the film was generally tame enough for children a bit younger to get involved. In this case, however, Disney may need to pick a lane. For teenagers to come out in large numbers, the studio is going to need to convince the public the movie is genuinely scary, which may ultimately cost them younger viewers who may go with their parents.
On the bright side, Tower Of Terror has great name recognition and given how many people visit Disneyland/ DisneyWorld on a regular basis and build positive memories, it has the potential to open to an absolutely massive first weekend, at least provided the reviews are positive. No doubt that’s very tempting for Disney too, a studio that’s made its money and built its reputation on spending big to try and hit home runs, rather than play it safe with more reasonable budgets.
Tower Of Terror is expected to remove its connection to The Twilight Zone and figure out a different initial set-up. If all goes well, it’ll turn into a larger franchise. We’ll keep you updated once more clear specifics about the franchise emerge. Until then, spend your mental energy planning a real trip to Disney to ride Tower Of Terror because it’ll be at least two years before you can experience it in the theater.
