Robert Zemeckis in Talks To Direct Disney's Live-Action Remake of PINOCCHIO

It looks like Disney Studios is ready to move forward with their live-action remake of their animated classic Pinocchio. The studio is currently in talks with Robert Zemeckis to direct the project.

Zemeckis would replace the previously attached Paul King (Paddington) who dropped out of the project. Harry Potter producer David Heyman was also producing the film but he is also no longer involved with the film. There’s no reason given as to why they left the project. So, I’ll just chalk it up to creative differences, since that’s always the reason given when someone leaves a project.

I’m a big fan of Zemeckis who has directed films such as Back To The Future, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Forrest Gump, Cast Away, The Walk, and a lot of other films. He’s currently directing an adaptation of the book The Witches. The guy is a super talented storyteller and filmmaker and I think he is a great choice to take on Pinocchio.

According to Variety, Zemeckis has been eyeing the project since this past summer and it’s high on his list of films to possibly be his next project. The deal has yet to close, though. The script for the movie is being written by Chris Weitz (The Golden Compass, Rogue One).

The story tells the tale of the woodworker Geppetto, desperate for a child of his own, whose wooden boy puppet Pinocchio comes to life and must prove himself as a real boy. Tom Hanks was in talks to play Geppetto at one point, maybe Zemeckis’ involvement will help seal the deal since they have a long working relationship with each other.

The one thing that I want from this Pinocchio movie is for it to be as dark, twisted, and terrifying as the original animated film!

What do you think about Zemeckis possibly directing Pinocchio for Disney?