Robert Zemeckis to direct & co-write Disney’s live-action Pinocchio

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

Update: It's now official. Robert Zemeckis has signed on to direct Disney's live-action adaptation of PINOCCHIO, as well as co-write the next draft of the script alongside Chris Weitz (CINDERELLA). It's possible that production on the film could kick off by the end of the year.

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Of the three live-action remakes of Disney's animated classics which the studio released this year, two made over $1 billion worldwide, so we clearly haven't seen the last of this very profitable trend. One of the many live-action projects which Disney has had in the works is PINOCCHIO, but the film hasn't had much luck nailing down a director; Hopefully that's about to change as Variety has reported that Robert Zemeckis is in early talks to helm the film.

Although the deal hasn't closed, Variety notes that Robert Zemeckis has had his eye on the PINOCCHIO project since the summer but didn't want to commit to anything until he completed work on THE WITCHES for Warner Bros. With that film now in post-production, Zemeckis is ready to take on his next project, which could very well be PINOCCHIO. As I mentioned before, Disney hasn't had the best of luck when it comes selecting a director for PINOCCHIO; Sam Mendes (1917) was in early talks to develop the project several years ago, but he later dropped out and was replaced by PADDINGTON director Paul King. Unfortunately, King also dropped out of the project early this year. There had also been talk of Tom Hanks (A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD) playing Geppetto in the film, but it seems that the actor has since passed on the role. Should Zemeckis sign on, he'll soon be firing up the casting process once again.

Robert Zemeckis' next film, an adaptation of Roald Dahl's "The Witches" which stars Anne Hathaway, Octavia Spencer, Stanley Tucci, and Chris Rock, is set to hit theaters on October 16, 2020.