Development on Tower of Terror continues after Scarlett Johansson and Disney have come to a settlement. The Tower of Terror opened in Disney's Hollywood Studios in 1994, with a Twilight Zone theme, and became such a massive hit with park goers that Disney brought the ride over to Disney's California Adventure and Walt Disney Studio Park in France. In 1997, a made-for-television movie based on the ride was produced and starred Steve Guttenberg and Kirsten Dunst.
In June 2021, Disney announced a new film version of Tower of Terror with Scarlett Johansson set to star and produce the film. However, the following month, Johansson filed a lawsuit against Disney for breaching her contract on Black Widow by releasing the film on Disney+. The feud between Johansson and Disney got serious with strong words being traded in the press, and it seemed that it would be unlikely Johansson would work with the company again. As a result, it left the state of Tower of Terror in limbo.
According to THR, in the wake of Disney and Scarlett Johansson settling the case, the two are continuing their working relationship. Tower of Terror is still in development at Disney, and Johansson is still set to star and produce. No word was given on a release date, and while not specified, it is likely that Disney and Johansson have plans for Tower of Terror to be a theatrical release as opposed to a Disney+ original. Disney Studios chairman Alan Bergman said the following regarding the news:
“I’m very pleased that we have been able to come to a mutual agreement with Scarlett Johansson regarding Black Widow. We appreciate her contributions to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and look forward to working together on a number of upcoming projects, including Disney’s Tower of Terror.”
Development on a new Tower of Terror movie began back in 2015 when the studio was looking for a new writer, shortly after the release of Tomorrowland. The screenplay is being written by Toy Story 4 director Josh Cooley, yet no director has been announced on the project. Disney has been revisiting their classic theme park attractions for multimedia projects. The Jungle Cruise was a box-office hit, and a sequel is currently underway. Battlestar Galactica creator, Ronald D. Moore, is developing Magic Kingdom, a series of interconnected stories based on various Disney theme park attractions like Thunder Mountain, for Disney+. Pirates of the Caribbean is arguably the most successful franchise based on a theme park attraction, and the studio has been working on a new project with Margot Robbie in the lead role. Filming on a new Haunted Mansion has begun, and the theme park is getting a Muppet-themed Halloween special set for October 15, 2021.
The Tower of Terror is one of many theme park adaptations in development for Disney, and now that the relationship with Johansson is mended the project can move forward as planned. Disney claimed a number of release dates for untitled films through 2024, and it is likely that Tower of Terror could arrive then. The studio currently has Untitled Disney Live-Action slots reserved for March 10, 2023, July 14, 2023, August 11, 2023, December 15, 2023, March 22, 2024, and July 5, 2024, and Tower of Terror could also slot into any of those dates.
Source: THR