In the wake of the successful live-action version of Cinderella, Disney is working on live action versions of its other animated features, including Winnie the Pooh, Mulan, Dumbo, The Jungle Book, Beauty and the Beast, and Pinocchio.
More interesting to me is the news that Guillermo del Toro is going to direct "a darker version" of Pinocchio, which will be shot in stop-motion.
The story is really about the relationship between a father and son, the ramifications of lying and creating stories and living in a fantasy world. Pinocchio came from the mind of author Carlo Collodi, who wrote the 1883 novel The Adventures Of Pinocchio. This is not the only Pinocchio-inspired film in Hollywood. Guillermo del Toro also has a darker version of that story in development at his company. The Book Of Life producer is planning to co-direct that version from a script he co-wrote with Matthew Robbins. It would be a stop-motion animated 3D film. Foreign financiers are said to be circling that one.
Disney has been combing through its coffers of late, looking for live-action versions of popular fairy tales and has several on the horizon, including The Jungle Book, being directed by Iron Man and Iron Man 2 helmer Jon Favreau; Beauty And The Beast, which will star Emma Watson, Luke Evans and Josh Gad; and Dumbo, to be directed by Tim Burton; and Mulan. There has also been buzz about a live-action Winnie the Pooh-inspired tale in development. What a smart business plan by the powers that be at the studio led by Alan Horn.
'Pinocchio'-Inspired Live-Action Film Being Developed At Disney [Deadline]
