Casper the Friendly Ghost (Reboot)

Casper the Friendly Ghost is an upcoming American comedy fantasy film based on the comic book and cartoon character of the same name, directed by Tim Burton and produced by Walt Disney Studios and Amblin Entertainment and associated by The Harvey Entertainment Company. The film stars Thomas Sangster as the voice of Casper, with Brian Cranston as Robert Harvey, a widower who moves into an old mansion with his two children, Sam and Oscar, played by Shailene Woodley and Finley Jacobson respectively, only to find that the house is inhabited by Casper and his ghostly uncles; Stretch, Stinkie and Fatso.

Plot
A vindictive woman named Leslie Barclay attends the reading of her late father's will and learns he has only left her the old Whipstaff Manor in Friendship, Maine. Learning there may be treasure hidden within the manor, Leslie and her attorney Bob Palmer visit the house but discovered it is haunted by a friendly yet lonely ghost, Casper, and worse, his three obnoxious uncles Stretch, Stinkie, and Fatso. Barclay hires several professionals including Father Guido Sarducci and Ghostbuster Ray Stantz to remove the ghosts, and later a demolition team to destroy the house altogether, all with no success. While watching television, Casper learns of Dr. Robert Harvey, a paranormal therapist who helps ghosts complete their unfinished business and move on, and immediately becomes infatuated with his daughter Sam. He manipulates Barclay into contacting Dr. Harvey to visit the manor.

Dr. Harvey travels the country with Sam and Oscar, really in search of the ghost of his deceased wife Julia. They move into Whipstaff, but Casper's attempt to befriend Sam and Oscar backfires when his uncles arrive home and cause havoc. The next day, Casper tries to keep the peace between his uncles and their new mortal guests. Dr. Harvey begins to counsel the Ghostly Trio who claim they know where Julia dwells, but Fatso pulls a prank on him. Sam begins her first day at school, and unintentionally convinces the class to hold their Halloween party at Whipstaff. She also is befriended by classmate Vic, who asks her to the dance by order of his friend Amber, the snobby, spoiled class president who was originally going to host the party at her beach house. Sam learns Casper has no memories of his life and searches the house for a way to help him remember. She finds Casper's bedroom and helps him remember his childhood. Upon finding an old sled, he remembers that he died from a fatal illness (possibly pneumonia) after staying out too late in the cold, and instead of crossing over to the afterlife, he chose to stay behind so his father wouldn't be lonely.

Oscar finds a newspaper article describing how Casper's father attempted to create a machine named the Lazarus, designed to resurrect his dead son, but he was sent to an insane asylum. As Casper and Sam go to find the Lazarus, Barclay and Palmer sneak in after the Ghostly Trio drag Dr. Harvey out for a happy hour. While out, the Trio consider killing Dr. Harvey, certain that he will become a ghost and join their band, but when he tells them that he won't force them out of their house, they decide they like him too much to simply murder him.

Meanwhile, Casper sends Sam to a secret passage that leads down into the laboratory of Casper's father, while Barclay and Plamer spot a vault where they assume the treasure is. Upon learning that the Lazarus works by inserting a formula which brings back the dead, Barclay and Palmer steal said formula with the intention of using its power to rob banks as ghosts then come back to life to enjoy their ill-gotten riches. Upon finding out the formula will work on only one person, the two end up turning on each other, leading to Barclay falling off a cliff but returning as a ghost.

Leslie confronts Casper, Sam and Oscar, spiriting herself into and out of the vault with the treasure, and throws Palmer out of a nearby window (his fate left unknown). Casper, Sam and Oscar fool Leslie into admitting she has no unfinished business, forcing her to cross over to the afterlife against her will. Casper's 'treasure' is revealed to be an autographed baseball signed by Brooklyn Dodgers player Duke Snider.

Dr. Harvey and the Ghostly Trio appear, the former having died by falling down a manhole while drunk. Dr. Harvey has no memories of Sam and Oscar, who is heartbroken, but when she reminds him of who they are, he is shocked at what he has done to himself. Casper gives up the chance to become human by allowing Dr. Harvey to use the Lazarus and reunite with Sam and Oscar. The Halloween guests arrive and the party kicks off in the main lobby, but Sam realizes she was tricked by Vic and Amber (the latter who planned to upstage the party out of jealousy) when Casper's uncles chase them out of the manor. Casper sits sadly alone in his room until the beautiful Julia's spirit appears and grants him a wish in gratitude for caring for their sons and husband—to spend one night alive, allowing him to dance with Sam until 10 o'clock PM. Selma then visits Dr. Harvey and tells him that the reason why he couldn't find her ghost was because she had already crossed over and entered the afterlife, but Casper's uncles were able to get in contact with her in gratitude for giving them the most fun they've had in years. Before leaving, she tells him he can move on, telling him that her family loved her so well when she was alive that she had no unfinished business. Ten o'clock pm chimes, and Casper kisses Sam just as he transforms back into a ghost, scaring away all of the party guests, leaving Casper, Sam, Oscar, Dr. Harvey, and the Ghostly Trio to celebrate Halloween themselves.

Cast

 * Thomas Sangster  as the voice of Casper/Human Casper
 * Shailene Woodley  as Sam Harvey
 * Bryan Cranston  as Dr. Robert Harvey
 * Finley Jacobsen as Oscar Harvey
 * Helena Bonham Carter  as Leslie Barclay
 * Steve Buscemi  as Bob Palmer
 * Brad Dourif as the voice of Stretch
 * Johnny Depp as the voice of Stinky
 * Kevin Michael Richardson  as the voice of Fatso
 * Marion Cottilard as Julia Harvey
 * Kevin James as Raymond Stanz