Disney has revealed a first look at a posthumous appearance by Ed Asner in the upcoming Muppets Haunted Mansion, which arrives on Disney+ next month. Among the many guest stars set to make cameo appearances in the spooky offering, this will be one of the last on screen appearances by Asner following his death last month at the age of 91. The new image was shared on The Muppets’ Twitter account, and shows the late actor raising a glass in a toast while dressed in a waistcoat sitting inside an antique photo frame. While it has not been revealed what Asner’s role will be in the special, fans will be thrilled to see him again in any capacity.
The tweet read, “A very special cheer to our good friend Edward Asner! Celebrate his cameo in #MuppetsHauntedMansion and more surprise guests to be revealed soon. The Original Special starts streaming October 8 on @DisneyPlus. #Hallowstream.”
A very special cheer to our good friend Edward Asner! Celebrate his cameo in #MuppetsHauntedMansion and more surprise guests to be revealed soon. The Original Special starts streaming October 8 on @DisneyPlus. #Hallowstreampic.twitter.com/kdovJT1ZVS
— The Muppets (@TheMuppets) September 14, 2021
The Muppets special has already announced a couple of its guest stars, but has also said that there are a lot more to be “revealed soon”. Glee star Darren Criss received a similar announcement image last week, and it seems that the slow reveals will continue up the show’s arrival on October 8th. Other celebrities listed to appear are action legend Danny Trejo, Yvette Nichole Brown, Chrissy Metz and Craig Robinson, who will provide a mixture of ghostly appearances as some of the Haunted Mansions residents.
Asner’s appearance in the special is something of an equally creepy, poignant and fitting one, as it does seem that he will be playing a spectral apparition of some description, which allows audiences to be visited by the legendary actor’s ghost. For someone who never stopped working, even in the last years of his life, it does seem that the timing of the show and his passing are just one of those coincidences that come about and work out as though part of a bigger plan. Having continued to work right up until the end, Asner has several more projects still to be seen, including appearances in The Premise, Awaken, The Last Saturday Night, A Fargo Christmas Story, Scarlett and Back Home Again, a list that is longer than many living actors can match.
A prolific star of the big and small screen, Ed Asner’s legacy stretches across generations, from his role of Lou Grant in The Mary Tyler Moore Show, through to his appearance as Santa Claus in the Will Ferrell classic Elf, and his voice work as Carl Fredrickson in the Pixar movie Up, all of which will ensure that he is not only remembered by this generation, but also future ones.
The Muppets Haunted Mansion is just one of the spooky lineup Disney+ is rolling out this Halloween, joining the RL Stine series Just Beyond, LEGO Star Wars Terrifying Tales and a remake of Disney’s own Under Wraps, in addition to all the classic movies in Disney’s arsenal such as Hocus Pocus, all of which arrive early in October in time for a Halloween binge.