Acclaimed filmmaker Guillermo del Toro announced yesterday at Comic-Con 2010 in San Diego that he is writing and producing a new movie absed on Disney’s popular “Haunted Mansion” theme park attraction.

“Dark imagery is an integral part of the Walt Disney legacy. After all, Disney himself was the father of some really chilling moments and characters – think Chernabog from ‘Fantasia’ or Maleficent as the Dragon or the Evil Queen in ‘Snow White,’” del Toro said in a statement.

The mansion was first opened in 1969 in Disneyland’s New Orleans square as a haunted attraction and has since been rebuilt in other Disney theme parks in Paris, Orlando and Tokyo.

“Millions of people from around the world visit The Haunted Mansion each year, but no one has ever had a tour guide like Guillermo del Toro,” Rich Ross, chairman of the Walt Disney Studios, said in a statement. “Guillermo is one of the most gifted and innovative filmmakers working today and he is going to take audiences on a visually thrilling journey like they’ve never experienced before.”

Originally from Mexico, del Toro has made critically-acclaimed films in both Spanish and English. He is most known for the “Hellboy” series starring Ron Pearlman and “Pan’s Labyrinth,” set in the mountains of Spain during the Spanish Civil War. He has worked on movies since the early ‘90s as a producer, director, writer and has also done various jobs in movie crews.