Hot off the heels of the live-action Bambi announcement, Deadline reports that Pinocchio will be the next live-action Disney film. While there have been no casting announcements, Robert Zemeckis is signed on to direct and co-write the film with Chris Weitz.
This is not Disney’s first attempt at a Pinocchio live-action remake. A couple years ago, it was announced that Paddington 2 director Paul King would helm a Pinocchio remake. King exited the production in January 2019 and nothing has been heard of the film since then.
A draft of the script penned by Chris Weitz and Simon Farnaby currently exists and will be re-written by Weitz and Zemeckis. Chris Weitz previously wrote the script for Disney’s live-action Cinderella remake.
The original 1940 Pinocchio was Walt Disney Animation Studios’ second full-length animated feature after Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. It follows puppet Pinocchio, who comes to life after his creator, Geppetto, wishes on a star. Pinocchio goes on an adventure with his conscience, Jiminy Cricket, to must prove himself brave, truthful, and unselfish so he can become a real boy.
The original Pinocchio cost $2.289 million to produce, twice as much as Snow White, but only recouped $1 million by the end of 1940, surprising Walt Disney Animation Studios. After multiple re-releases, the film has now garnered $85 million in the box office.
We do not yet know when the live-action Pinocchio will be released, but Disney has dates lined up for live-action releases through December 2023, so we can expect to see the film taking one of these slots.
