'The Haunted Mansion' may star Ryan Gosling as the new protagonist of director Guillermo del Toro's remake based on the Disney theme park attraction of the same name. The filmmaker had been in talks with Disney regarding the project for years.

According to Movie News Guide, the 50-year old visionary director has long planned for the adaptation to move forward and he may have finally chosen to cast Gosling in an unnamed lead role. His new gothic romance film 'Crimson Peak' starring Tom Hiddleston, Jessica Chastain and Anna Wasikowska will hit theaters on October 16 this year. It is yet to be confirmed whether he will start work on 'The Haunted Mansion' sometime soon since he has been teasing fans with it for seven years.

Another article by MTV.com reported that Gosling and Del Toro spent much of February touring Disneyland together. It was later revealed that they had been in discussions for the future of the planned film. Gosling admitted that they shared the same playful passion for Disney with him starting out his acting career as a member of Disney Channel's Mickey Mouse Club and the latter being an avid fan of the amusement parks specifically of the 'Haunted Mansion' attraction.

The duo spent more than 11-hours in the amusement park accompanied by friends and a VIP guide including an exclusive dinner at the famous members-only Club 33, according to E! Online.

They also shared the stage together at the 2015 SXSW festival last March in Austin, Texas during an appearance promoting Gosling's directorial debut 'Lost River'. As of the present, no official news of Gosling's official involvement in the upcoming film has been made.

'The Haunted Mansion' is an upcoming film that is said to be a darker version of its 2003 predecessor starring Eddie Murphy, Terence Stamp and Jennifer Tilly. The first film adaptation earned $180 million against a $90 million budget, according to Box Office Mojo, and was generally panned by critics. It was considered Disney's fourth film based on one of its amusement park attractions in the same league as 1997's 'Tower of Terror', 2002's 'Country Bears' and the successful 'Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl' also released last 2003.