Haunted Mansion premiere went ahead despite actors' strike – with Disneyland characters walking the red carpet
SAG-AFTRA has been striking since July 13
Haunted Mansion made its world premiere at Disneyland in Anaheim, California at the weekend, but the red carpet was looking a little sparse. This is because Hollywood actors are now on strike after the performers' union SAG-AFTRA called for industrial action on July 13. Director Justin Simien was in attendance but, in lieu of A-listers, amusement park performers dressed as Cruella de Vil, Maleficent, and Mickey and Minnie Mouse walked the red carpet.
This is the first premiere to take place since the action began, with striking actors unable to take part in promotion for movies and TV shows, including press interviews and red carpet appearances. SAG-AFTRA is demanding better pay for actors, particularly when it comes to royalties for streaming titles, and better regulation around the use of AI to recreate actors' images after negotiations with Hollywood studios ground to a halt last week.
As for Haunted Mansion, the movie stars Rosario Dawson as a single mother who moves into a suspiciously cheap mansion in New Orleans with her nine-year-old son. However, they soon find out that they're not the only residents of the house – or not the only living residents, at least. In an attempt to get rid of the ghosts, she enlists the help of a former paranormal investigator (LaKeith Stanfield), a priest (Owen Wilson), a psychic (Tiffany Haddish), and a history professor (Danny DeVito). Jamie Lee Curtis, Winona Ryder, and Jared Leto also star.
Haunted Mansion is set to be released on July 28 in the US and August 11 in the UK. In the meantime, check out our guide to the rest of the year's most highly anticipated movie release dates.
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I’m an Entertainment Writer here at 12DOVE, covering everything film and TV-related across the Total Film and SFX sections. I help bring you all the latest news and also the occasional feature too. I’ve previously written for publications like HuffPost and i-D after getting my NCTJ Diploma in Multimedia Journalism.