If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy.

Thanks to Wednesday, we're now getting an edgy Casper the Friendly Ghost series that no-one asked for

Steven Spielberg is attached to executive produce the series for Disney+, which is wild because, again, we're talking about a Casper the Friendly Ghost series.

Casper Screenshot — Image credit: Universal Pictures

News by Trent Cannon, Senior Contributing writer

Published on Fri May 01 2026

Popverse's top stories

Marvel's Punisher skull took on a meaning co-creator Gerry Conway never wanted it to. This is how he fought back
It's never too early to start planning for NYCC 2026 - here's what you need to know before returning to the Javits Center in October
Marvel Studios killed a Daredevil: Born Again character in editing, dropping scenes already shot from season 2

If there is one thing that Hollywood loves, it’s a gritty reboot of a beloved family classic to try to chase a popular fad. After the success of Wednesday, Disney wanted in on the action, so they’ve won a reportedly intense bidding war for… a live-action Casper the Friendly Ghost series with a darker edge. Because that’s something people have been asking for, apparently.

The news broke earlier this week that Disney+ had come out on top in a five-way bidding war for the rights to a live-action Casper the Friendly Ghost series with Ghostbumps producers Rob Letterman and Hilary Winston attached. Bafflingly, Steven Spielberg, who was executive producer of the 1995 Casper movie (the last time the character was anywhere near the cultural zeitgeist), is also attached to the project. Letterman and Winston are executive producing and writing the series. Spielberg is also an executive producer.

Plot details for the series are still unknown at this stage, but initial reports say that it will likely be influenced by the success of Wednesday for Netflix, which gave a darker tone to a series that had been previously known for borderline slapstick comedy with gothic elements.

We know that Hollywood likes to jump on a bandwagon, but this is still a baffling development we’re still wrapping our heads around. Everything, from the very existence to a new Casper the Friendly Ghost series to Steven Spielberg’s involvement to the fact that Disney had to pay money for the rights to stream it, feels like a fever dream of mind-boggling decisions. No one asked for Casper to get the Wednesday treatment, but that isn’t stopping them from giving it to us.

Just let a friendly ghost be friendly, you guys.

Want to know what's coming up next in pop culture? Check out Popverse's guides to: