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Tom Hanks In Talks To Play Geppetto In Disney’s Live-Action Pinocchio

It seems Tom Hanks might be reuniting with director Robert Zemeckis for Disney’s live-action adaptation of the classic 1940 animated film Pinocchio.

First reported by Deadline, Tom Hanks is currently in talks with Disney to play woodcarver Geppetto and should this go through, Hanks will once again be teaming up with Zemeckis who he has worked with on 1994’s Forrest Gump, 2000’s Cast Away, and 2004’s The Polar Express. Deadline writes that after reading the script, Hanks had already reached out to Zemeckis to express his interest in doing the film. 

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Zemeckis will be directing the film with Andrew Miano (A Single Man) and Chris Weitz (The Golden Compass) producing the film under their company Depth of Field, with Zemeckis and Weitz working on the script for the film.

Pinocchio tells the story of a woodcarver Gepetto who’s creation one day comes to life with the help of a fairy godmother. With a cricket serving as his conscience, the living puppet Pinocchio then sets off on a journey to prove himself worthy of becoming a real boy.

This live-action adaptation will see Disney continuing its strategy of turning some of their most popular animated movies into live-action films. This model has seen immense success in 2019’s Aladdin, with the film grossing over a billion in the box office. 

Before stepping into the shoes of Geppetto, Hanks will be busy filming Warner Bros’ Elvis Presley biopic. Production for the film halted when Hanks and his wife announced that they had tested positive for COVID-19. They have since recovered and the studio is hopeful that production will start again soon.

Hanks has also recently starred as a commander in the World War II combat drama Greyhound, which premiered on Apple TV Plus.