Scarlett Johansson Reportedly Producing And Starring In Disney’s Tower of Terror Movie

Scarlett Johansson is reportedly following the release of her Marvel Black Widow solo film by both headlining and producing Disney‘s Tower of Terror movie. Disney is reportedly shaping the project to be a starring vehicle for Johansson, so it sounds like another mutually beneficial venture for the actress and studio. Pixar’s Inside Out and Toy Story 4 writer Josh Cooley is reportedly handling the Tower of Terror script, though no director has been officially tapped to helm the project. Disney is supposedly putting a lot behind the project, in an attempt to capitalize on Scarlett Johansson‘s uptick in fame as both a box office draw (Black Widow) and awards season contender (Marriage Story, Jojo Rabbit).

Collider dropped the exclusive about Scarlett Johansson joining Disney’s Tower of Terror, though neither the actress nor the studios are making an official comment, as of reporting this.

The Tower of Terror attractions at Disney World takes riders on an elevator journey through a creepy haunted mansion, narrated by a creepy voice. The actual “ride” comes in when Tower of Terror takes riders up to a high height, before dripping them down in simulation of an elevator in free-fall. The ride is big souvenir lure due to the crazy photos of riders that get snapped mid-free-fall.

Tower of Terror was already adapted into a 1997 TV movie, starring Steve Guttenberg and Kirsten Dunst. The premise was that a disgraced reporter (Guttenberg) and his niece (Dunst) investigates an old mystery of a hotel where 5 people died on a falling elevator, and still roam as ghosts. They had to find a personal belonging of each ghost that died in the elevator to escape the hotel.

No telling what the new big-budget movie spin on Tower of Terror will be. Obviously, it will be built around Scarlett Johansson being onscreen a lot, and it’s not hard to imagine a supernatural-themed mystery framework, with ScarJo running around the haunted hotel. That said, it’s been tricky for studios to find the balance of horror-themed projects that are also going to draw a family crowd (see: the Goosebumps movies). That’ll be a key piece of the formula for Disney and Johansson to get right.

Right now, Scarlett Johansson is poised to be a major savior of the movie theater industry with the release of Marvel’s Black Widow. Even though the film will be offered on Disney+ Premium Access the same day as theaters, early reactions to Black Widow have made the case for why it is a must-see theatrical experience.

Disney’s Tower of Terror doesn’t have an official release date.