Inside Scarlett Johansson’s haunted challenge with Tower of Terror

Scarlett Johansson has shared a fresh update on her long-awaited Tower of Terror movie, revealing that turning the popular Disney Parks ride into a feature film has been more challenging than expected.

Speaking during a promotional interview for Jurassic World Rebirth, Johansson admitted that the project is proving to be a “hard nut to crack.”

Although Scarlett Johansson has been attached to Tower of Terror for several years, progress on the film stalled after her public legal dispute with Disney following the release of Black Widow.

Despite the issues, Disney later confirmed that Scarlett Johansson was still part of the project.

In her latest comments, Scarlett Johansson explained that the story behind Tower of Terror isn’t as deep as many might assume.

“The ride itself, there’s some lore to it,” she said, “but it’s… I don’t want to say thin, but it is, kind of!”

Scarlett Johansson added that the lack of built-in narrative is both a challenge and an opportunity. “That’s part of the mystery of the ride. It’s a blue sky project and fun to work on, but definitely tough. Still, we’re getting there—it’s taking shape.”

Tower of Terror, known for its eerie hotel setting and elevator drop experience, exists in various forms across Disney Parks worldwide, including Tokyo DisneySea, Disneyland Paris, and Walt Disney World.

The ride’s most famous version was once themed to The Twilight Zone, though its California counterpart has since been reimagined as a Guardians of the Galaxy attraction. Scarlett Johansson’s new movie won’t be the first attempt to bring Tower of Terror to the screen.

A 1997 made-for-TV version starring Steve Guttenberg and Kirsten Dunst was filmed at the original ride in Florida, but like Johansson’s take, it didn’t include elements from The Twilight Zone.

While Disney has had mixed results with theme park-based films, such as the hit Pirates of the Caribbean franchise and the less successful Haunted Mansion adaptations, hopes remain high for Scarlett Johansson’s version of Tower of Terror.

Despite the slow development, Scarlett Johansson remains committed to cracking the code.