We have our first look at the live-action Pinocchio remake. In development at Disney+, the remake features fan-favorite actor Tom Hanks in the role of Geppetto. As a part of Disney Investor Day, the company has released a new image from the film of Hanks in the role looking at a wooden Pinocchio who looks very similar to the one in Disney’s previously-released animated adaptation of the story. Also noted in the announcement is that the film will premiere on Disney+ in September.
Benjamin Evan Ainsworth (The Haunting of Bly Manor) provides the voice of Pinocchio. The film also stars Cynthia Erivo as the Blue Fairy and Luke Evans as The Coachman, as well as the voices of Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Jiminy Cricket, Keegan-Michael Key as Honest John, and Lorraine Bracco as Sofia the Seagull.
Legendary director Robert Zemeckis is at the helm for the new Pinocchio, directing the movie using a screenplay co-written with Chris Weitz. Andrew Miano and Weitz are producing under their Depth of Field production banner alongside Zemeckis’ Imagemovers. Alan Silvestri and Glen Ballard will provide new musical numbers alongside the original’s classic songs.
Robert Zemeckis Will Do Things Differently in the Live-Action Pinocchio Remake
One of the film’s stars, Luke Evans, previously spoke about his role in the movie. He said how his version of The Coachman is very much unlike the original version of the character, but in a good way. Although, as the actor notes, the overall storyline is still pretty similar to the classic version.
“Thankfully, he looks nothing like the character in the animation,” Evans said on the D23 podcast. “In the mind of Bob [Rob] Zemeckis, you can imagine, the things are not going to be the same as they were in the animation. They’re very good. The storyline is very, very similar. But there were certain characters that Bob was able to, you know, dramatically enhance and the Coachman is one of those.”
As noted, the new film is expected to have a very similar plot to the animated Pinocchio. The official synopsis for that film reads:
The new Pinocchio will arrive on Disney+ in September. If you want to revisit the classic version, which was released in 1940 and still stands as one of the most popular animated movies of all time, that film can also be found on the streaming service. Meanwhile, expect Disney to move forward with remaking many other animated properties as well after finding big success in doing the same with other titles like Aladdin, The Lion King, and Cinderella.
When the woodworker Geppetto (Christian Rub) sees a falling star, he wishes that the puppet he just finished, Pinocchio (Dickie Jones), could become a real boy. In the night, the Blue Fairy (Evelyn Venable) grants Geppetto’s wish and asks Jiminy Cricket (Cliff Edwards) to serve as the wooden boy’s conscience. But the naive and trusting Pinocchio falls into the clutches of the wicked Honest John (Walter Catlett), who leads him astray to the sinful Pleasure Island.
