Netflix assembled an A-list cast for its upcoming family adventure movie We Have a Ghost.
The cast will feature The Hurt Locker actor Anthony Mackie, Stranger Things actor David Harbour, comedienne Jennifer Coolidge from American Pie, and 17-year-old Jahi Di’Allo Winston from Charm City Kings. The film will be written and directed by Happy Death Day and Freaky filmmaker Christopher Landon.
The movie is an adaptation of a short story that follows a family finding a ghost, who is haunting their new home, and becoming an overnight social media sensation. This move from Netflix follows its recent trend of buying the rights from online and news stories, in order to create new programming and series.
Filming is scheduled to wrap in mid-September 2021.
As mentioned earlier, We Have Ghost is an adaptation of the short story called “Ernest,” written by freelance writer Geoff Manaugh. The story was originally posted on Vice’s Motherboard in October 2017, and was won through an auction by the Legendary Entertainment film company, among six other bidders.
Manaugh is also an executive producer on the film, working with Landon and others throughout the project.
The premise of the story is about a young man named Kevin (played by Winston), his family, and a ghost named Ernest (played by Harbour). Upon finding the ghost, the family garners social media fame. However, once they start to investigate the mysteries of Ernest’s past, they become a target of the CIA.
On Monday, Landon posted an excited message on social media stating: “And away we go!!!”
The cast is full of heavy-hitting actors and actresses. Mackie recently starred in Netflix’s Outside the Wire, and has assumed the mantle of Captain America in the Disney+ series The Falcon and the Winter Solider. We Have a Ghost will make Mackie’s seventh appearance in an original Netflix production.
Harbour is also coming off of a previous Netflix stint, reprising his role as Jim Harper on Stranger Things and starring in Marvel’s Black Window film that was released in early July. This will be his fourth Netflix feature in an original title.
Winston, who got his start playing young Simba in Lion King on Broadway, is also coming off a stint of breakout roles that include his portrayals in Charm City Kings, Queen & Slim, the New Edition Story, and Proud Mary.
The cast lineup will also feature Tig Notaro (Army of the Dead), Erica Ash (Survivors Remorse), Isabella Russo (School of Rock the Musical), Niles Fitch (This is Us), Faith Ford (Murphy Brown), and Steve Coulter (The Conjuring).
Additionally, Marty Bowen and Isaac Klausner will produce with Dan Halsted. Landon, Fischer, Manaugh, Korey Budd, and Nathan Miller are set to be executive producers.
Temple Hill Entertainment is the production company behind the project.
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