On July 28, Walt Disney Studios will release its newest live-action film, Haunted Mansion. The film will tell the story of a woman and her young son, who move into an old southern mansion in Louisiana. However, as the title indicates, the mansion is possessed by spooky spirits. Haunted Mansion stars Rosario Dawson as Gabbie and Chase Dillon as her son, Travis. The movie also stars Owen Wilson as a priest, Danny DeVito as a history professor, and LaKeith Stanfield as a paranormal investigator.
Of course, it wouldn’t be the Haunted Mansion without some classic characters. Jamie Lee Curtis will portray Madame Leota, Lindsay Lamb will play Constance Hatchaway (the Ghost Bride), and Jared Leto will appear as the Hat Box Ghost.
As with other Disney movies based on popular attractions — like Jungle Cruise — the Haunted Mansion world premiere took place at Disneyland Resort. However, unlike those prior premieres, this one was completely void of the film’s stars. On July 14, the actor’s union, SAG-AFTRA, went on strike. As part of the terms of the strike, actors are not allowed to attend premieres, promote their work, or do any type of acting work, including voice-over work.
This includes all the Haunted Mansion stars, who supported the strike and did not attend the premiere.
Instead of having an empty red carpet, Disney filled the area with classic villains like Maleficent, the Evil Queen, and Cruella De Vil. There were also characters from the Haunted Mansion attraction that are rarely seen in the Parks. This included Constance Hatchaway and Sally Slater (the tightrope walker). Mickey and Minnie Mouse also attended the premiere.
In lieu of the #HauntedMansion stars, who are not in attendance at the world premiere due to the actors strike, Disney has its classic villains walking the red carpet pic.twitter.com/aCc0G30SuK
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) July 16, 2023
While the actors did not attend the event, Haunted Mansion director Justin Simien arrived about halfway through the red carpet event. While there, he briefly spoke to the press about the strike, admitting that it was a tough situation. He said that he showed up to support all the people who worked incredibly hard to bring the movie to life.
He said to The Hollywood Reporter:
“I feel very ambivalent about it, but at the same time, I’m just so proud of this cast and I’m so, so proud of Katie Dippold who wrote the script, and so much of why I did this was to honor her words and to honor their work. If they can’t be here to speak for it, I felt like I had to be here to speak for it. It’s sad that they’re not here, at the same time, I totally support the reason why they’re not here. And I’m happy to be the one to ring the bell in their stead.”
#HauntedMansion director Justin Simien arrives at the Disneyland premiere pic.twitter.com/WFybi5CNQt
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) July 16, 2023
As of right now, it is unknown how long the actors’ strike will last. This is the second massive Hollywood union to go on strike this summer. The Writers Guild of America has been on strike since May. With both unions on strike, a major part of Hollywood has shut down. Disney CEO Bob Iger called the SAG demands unrealistic, but is getting a massive amount of backlash for it.
Many major productions, including Disney’s live-action Moana and Lilo & Stitch, are currently on pause due to the strike.
