Casper the Friendly Ghost is about to get some serious teen angst.
According to Deadline, Disney+ will be the home of a live-action Casper series, which comes from Rob Letterman and Hilary Winston, executive producers of the Disney+ Goosebumps series; Steven Spielberg, executive producer of the 1995 Casper movie; and UCP, a division of Universal Studio Group.
While the project is still in the early stages of development, it will be a modern update on the classic ghost story. It is also believed to have a dark edge to it, with Wednesday comparisons being thrown around. Letterman and Winston are writing, with Letterman set to direct.
This Casper series is different from the one UCP was developing in 2022 for Peacock. That version had been described as a live-action horror/adventure series about what it means to be alive. Peacock ultimately did not go forward with it.
Casper the Friendly Ghost has been around since 1945. He originated in a string of theatrical cartoons by Famous Studios, which were released between 1945 and 1959. After that, he appeared in five animated TV series as well as the aforementioned live-action feature adaptation from 1995.
Do you think Casper needs the Wednesday treatment?