Disney+ has landed a new live-action "Casper the Friendly Ghost" series in a competitive bidding war, with Steven Spielberg among the executive producers and the project is described as a modern update with a darker edge.

Disney+ is moving ahead with a live-action "Casper" series after securing the rights in a five-way bidding battle, according to Deadline's report. The project brings together Rob Letterman and Hilary Winston, who are best known for their work on Disney+'s "Goosebumps," and Spielberg, who also served as an executive producer on the 1995 "Casper" film.

The new series is still in early development, and Disney has not announced a release date, cast, or production start, according to Deadline.

Modernizing the Classic Ghost Story

Deadline said the show is being developed as a "modern update" of the classic ghost story, while other coverage noted that it may lean into a tone closer to Netflix's "Wednesday" than the family-friendly approach associated with earlier versions of the character.

Netflix's "Wednesday" is darker than earlier "Wednesday Addams" screen versions because it centers on murder, secrets, psychic visions, and gothic horror elements, while older adaptations leaned more heavily on comedy and quirky family dynamics, Entertainment Weekly.

The newer series also gives the character more independence and mystery, which makes its tone feel more suspenseful and less playful than past versions.

The 1995 "Casper" film followed a young girl and her father as they moved into a haunted mansion and encountered Casper, a friendly ghost who wanted companionship rather than mischief.

The movie starred Christina Ricci, Bill Pullman, Cathy Moriarty, and Eric Idle, and was directed by Brad Silberling, with Steven Spielberg credited as an executive producer.

That film and TV run kept Casper in the spotlight long after the theatrical movie, and later projects moved the character into animation, as per Screen Rant. The franchise also included the computer-animated "Casper's Haunted Christmas" and "Casper's Scare School," which later led to a spin-off series.

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