Disney is on a roll with the live-action remakes of its animated classics. While the studio's 2019 slate is filled with Dumbo (March 29), Aladdin (May 24), and The Lion King (July 19), looking ahead, they are setting the stage for a live-action Pinocchio.
On their radar is two-time Oscar-winning actor Tom Hanks, who is in early talks to play Geppetto, the old woodworker who creates the wooden puppet boy that is brought to life by a magical fairy. Presumably, based on Disney's version of the classic children's novel by Italian writer Carlo Collodi, Pinocchio follows the puppet boy, most famous for his nose that grows every time he tells a lie, on an adventure to prove himself worthy of becoming a real boy.
Paul King, the filmmaker behind the successful Paddington movies, will direct the live-action adaptation. Andrew Miano and Chris Weitz will serve as producers. King, Weitz, and Simon Farnaby have all worked on the current draft of the screenplay.
There's no release date for Pinocchio yet, but production is slated to begin next summer.