Disney plan live-action adaption of Pinocchio

Get ready to welcome the likes of Geppetto, Jiminy Cricket and that charming wooden boy back into your hearts, because a live adaption of Disney’s much-loved classic Pinocchio is in the works, according to reports.

Allegedly, the film is to be written by Peter Hedges. The film’s source material, the 1883 novel The Adventures Of Pinocchio, was written by Italian author Carlo Collodi. Hedges’ script for the new film will reportedly cleave close to the original tale. This is said to be a little darker than the family-friendly storyline we’re all familiar with, so maybe we can rule out a rendition of When You Wish Upon a Star.

Disney previously adapted Collodi’s novel into the massively popular 1940 version, a film that esteemed film critic and historian Leonard Maltin has called not only the height of Disney’s power, but also the apex of animated cartoons. It also has a 100% approval rating on the internet review site Rotten Tomatoes – almost a modern-day miracle in itself.

This is not the only live-action re-imagining that the Disney Corporation have been attempting of late. On the horizon is a version of The Jungle Book, which has Iron Man and Iron Man 2 director Jon Favreau at the helm, an adaption of Beauty And The Beast which will star Emma Watson, Luke Evans and Josh Gad, Dumbo which is set to be directed by Tim Burton, as well as a live action version of Mulan.

This trend began following the massive success of Burton’s Alice in Wonderland in 2008, which made almost $1 billion, and was followed by the prequel to 1934’s The Wizard of Oz, Oz the Great and Powerful, in 2013. The retelling of Sleeping Beauty, Maleficient, quickly followed a year later.

Rumours have persisted that a live-action adaption of Winnie the Pooh is also in the works following the warm reception of Paddington last year. As of yet, however, no official information has been released.