In September, I reported over at OmegaUnderground that Avengers and Godzilla cinematographer Seamus McGarvey would be tackling a live-action Pinocchio film for Walt Disney Pictures from Paddington director Paul King.
I can now confirm that McGarvey is onboard along with that filming is expected to take place sometime next year in the United Kingdom. All signs are pointing to filming taking place at Shepperton Studios in Surrey, England where Disney recently shot productions such as Mary Poppins Returns, Beauty and The Beast, Dumbo, and Christopher Robin.
It’s also said to be spending some of the production on location in Italy. Filming there would be fitting since the fairytale is historically set in Italy.
When the woodworker Geppetto sees a falling star, he wishes that the puppet he just finished, Pinocchio, could become a real boy. In the night, the Blue Fairy grants Geppetto’s wish and asks Jiminy Cricket to serve as the wooden boy’s conscience. But the naive and trusting Pinocchio falls into the clutches of the wicked Honest John (Walter Catlett), who leads him astray to the sinful Pleasure Island.
A recent report from Collider suggests that consistent Disney collaborator Tom Hanks is in talks with the studio to play the role of Pinocchio’s father Geppetto. From our own reporting, Hanks is set to film Universal/Amblin’s Bios next and will wrap up production in late May, this would suggest a possible summer/fall shoot for Paul King’s Pinocchio. That’s if Hanks’ scheduling lines up with the Disney project and he indeed lands the part.
Disney has yet to officially give Pinocchio a release date.
SOURCE: HN ENTERTAINMENT
