Disney Adds New Writers to Movie Inspired by ‘Space Mountain’

April 23, 20245 Mins Read

Published: April 23, 2024

Disney Adds New Writers to Movie Inspired by ‘Space Mountain’ Ride

By Movieguide® Contributor

Disney has added writers Josh Appelbaum and André Nemec to the team working on a movie version of the popular “Space Mountain” ride.

Applebaum and Nemec have previously worked on Amazon’s spy series CITADEL and Netflix’s adaptation of the animated series COWBOY BEBOP. The pair have also written on MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE — GHOST PROTOCOL, 2014’s TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES and WONDER PARK.

Plot details are being kept under wraps, but The Hollywood Reporter revealed that “the story is being created whole cloth with the ride acting as inspiration.”

Some wonder if the movie will make it to the big screen at all, as it has already gone through several writers.

ScreenRant reported that the project’s script was “previously retooled in 2020 after a version written by Max Landis was scrapped, at which point it was announced that Joby Harold, who is also producing the movie, would be penning the screenplay.”

“As the screenwriters on the movie have already been replaced twice, it remains to be seen if Appelbaum and Nemec’s script will be met with the same treatment,” the outlet continued. “Additionally, quite a few other attraction-based movies have also struggled to come to fruition, with the roster of already-scrapped projects including ‘It’s a Small World,’ a ‘Matterhorn’ adaptation titled THE HILL, and a PIRATES reboot starring Margot Robbie.”

Robbie recently confirmed that plans for another PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN movie have come to a halt.

“We had an idea and we were developing it for a while, ages ago, to have more of a female-led — not totally female-led, but just a different kind of story — which we thought would’ve been really cool, but I guess they don’t want to do it,” the BARBIE actress said.

Some have pointed out that Disney’s hesitance to green-light attraction-based movies is due to previous projects’ underperformance at the box office, like 2023’s HAUNTED MANSION adaptation. Movieguide® previously reported:

Disney’s HAUNTED MANSION is the latest example of the entertainment giant’s inability to capture audiences, opening to a mere $24.2 million.

The $24.4 million mark one of the lowest starts among Disney’s live-action remakes or reimaginings of theme park attractions. HAUNTED MANSION performed worse than experts expected, predicting it would at least top $30 million during its opening weekend.

The ongoing actors’ strike also hurt the movie’s launch. The star-studded cast—Rosario Dawson, LaKeith Stanfield, Owen Wilson, Jamie Lee Curtis and Jared Leto—could not promote the movie or attend the July 15 Disneyland premiere.

HAUNTED MANSION is yet another flop among Disney’s string of theatrical failures. Coming into the summer, Disney had already lost an estimated $900 million. HAUNTED MANSION and the company’s other summer release ELEMENTAL have only added to the losses.

A ‘SPACE MOUNTAIN’ movie is moving forward at Disney.

Josh Appelbaum and André Nemec are writing the script.

(Source: https://t.co/y19NgzMEf1) pic.twitter.com/p6vustki6V

— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) April 19, 2024

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What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.

You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.

Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.