Casper the Friendly Ghost: Is it time for a sequel or a remake?

With Casper (1995) hitting Peacock TV this month (the movie started streaming on April 1) many fans have rewatched the old favorite and started wondering whether we’ll ever get a sequel to the movie, or perhaps a remake. One would think that Hollywood’s remake-happy attitude would surely guarantee another Casper movie.

Before you hit me with the, “but they did make more Casper films!” Yes, I know, but I always hoped we’d get a continuation or reimagining beyond the straight-to-DVD prequel films (although don’t get me wrong, Casper Meets Wendy was plenty of fun).

I thought it was strange that we never heard rumblings of one being made, so I decided to do a little research to see what might be brewing on the horizon for this friendly ghost.

At one time, Simon Helmer (Prince of Egypt) was attached to create Casper 2 but later backed out. Later reports made it sound like Universal wasn’t impressed enough by the straight-to-video prequel sales to warrant another film. Gee, maybe if they’d struck while the iron was hot after the film made a nice profit in theaters!

Will another Casper movie ever be made?

After Casper 2 slipped off the radar, there ceased to be any real rumblings about a new Casper movie. Is it possible that we could ever see another one get made? It’s hard to say.

The time has probably passed for a really successful Casper movie to get made. It never earned the same passionate cult following as similar films released during the 1990s, like Hocus Pocus or The Addams Family.

Is there an audience for a second Casper movie? Sure, it gets played almost every Halloween like clockwork, but would people pay to watch a sequel? The friendly ghost’s popularity has waned over the years since its hey-day when there were comics and cartoons galore. The most recent iterations of Casper were in the Netflix animated series Harvey Girls Forever! and Casper’s Scare School –– oh, and a few commercials.

If we were to get a Casper sequel, I think the most likely bet would be via streaming. That’s how so many old franchises are living these days. Perhaps it will one day wind up being a Netflix Original movie or even a made-for-television flick like the upcoming Slumber Party Massacre remake.

Do we need another Casper movie?

Maybe the truth is, we don’t need another Casper. Having just watched the film, I’m impressed with how well this 1995 flick has held up over the years. Even the CGI doesn’t look bad. Plus, you can’t top James Horner’s beautifully haunting score underlying the most emotional scenes of the film.

And speaking of emotions, Casper gives viewers a surprisingly poignant and heartbreaking display of grief and hope. Casper had a genuine spark of heartfelt ’90s cheese that I’m not sure could be recaptured nowadays, and perhaps that’s what makes it so special and where its legacy should end.

Do you think we should get another Casper movie? Would you prefer a sequel or remake? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

You can watch Casper right now on Peacock TV for free.