Cynthia Erivo, Joseph Gordon-Levitt Join Tom Hanks on Live-Action ‘Pinocchio’ for Disney+
Disney+’s live-action Pinocchio is beginning to take shape as more casting for the film has been announced.
Cynthia Erivo, Benjamin Evan Ainsworth, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Keegan-Michael Key, and Lorraine Bracco have all reportedly been cast in the project directed by Robert Zemeckis. According to The Wrap, they join previously announced stars Tom Hanks and Luke Evans.
Co-written by Zemeckis and Chris Weitz, the film will debut on the streaming service, opting out of a theatrical release. Production is set to begin in the U.K. next month. Erivo who is set to feature in National Geographic’s latest season of Genius as Aretha Franklin, will step into the project as The Blue Fairy, known for granting the titular puppet’s wish to become a real boy.
The Haunting of Bly Manor‘s Ainsworth is set to voice Pinocchio and Gordon-Levitt lends his vocals to the lovable Jiminy Cricket. Key will play Honest John and Bracco has been cast in the role of Sofia the Seagull. Hanks is playing Geppetto and Evans will fill the villainous role of The Coachman.
(Credit: Everett Collection)
The film is based on Disney’s 1940 Oscar-winning animated film of the same name and is being produced under Zameckis’s Imagemovers and Andrew Miano and Weitz’s company Depth of Field. The movie joins a lengthy list of titles that are set to be released on Disney’s streaming platform including Peter Pan & Wendy, Sister Act 3, Enchanted‘s sequel Disenchanted, and Chip ‘n Dale Rescue Rangers.
No premiere dates for Pinocchio or the other films mentioned above have been set. Stay tuned for more details as productions get underway.
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