Walt Disney Studios is at work on a Pinocchio-inspired live-action film, according to a new report.
Deadline says Disney has hired Peter Hedges (About a Boy) to write a film “loosely based on the original Pinocchio story.”
As those who’ve seen the 1940 Disney animated classic know, Pinocchio is about a puppet whose wish to become a boy is granted, but Pinocchio suffers from an interest in not always telling the truth. With every stretch of reality, Pinocchio’s nose grows larger. The film is memorable thanks in part to Pinocchio’s friend Jiminy Cricket. Both characters have been staples in Disney’s theme parks over the years.
This is the first time we’re hearing one of Disney’s live-action remakes described as “loosely inspired.” It remains to be seen what that means. Perhaps they’ll change the age or gender of Pinocchio in order to create a film that appeals to a wider audience than children. Or the ending will change to shake things up (i.e. what happened in Disney’s live-action Maleficent)?
Pinocchio is the latest in a quickly growing line up of animated films that Disney is preparing to remake. In the past few months we’ve learned the studio is working on live-action versions of Winnie The Pooh, Mulan, and Dumbo. Live-action installments of Beauty and the Beast, Pete’s Dragon, and The Jungle Book are already in production with theatrical releases set over the next two years.
As noted by Deadline, Guillermo del Toro is also at work on a Pinocchio-inspired film that he’ll co-direct, but his is not associated with Disney.
As the property is in the public domain (the original book was penned by Carlo Collodi in the late 1800s), Pinocchio has been told multiple times since 1940, including in the 1957 TV movie starring Mickey Rooney.
Cross Pinocchio off your Disney Animated-to-Live-Action Bingo card!
Source: Deadline
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