Paul Thomas Anderson takes on Pinocchio script

Paul Thomas Anderson is set to write and potentially direct a Pinocchio film starring Robert Downey Jr. The film would be executively produced by the actor’s wife, Susan Downey – the married couple have been playing and tweaking with the idea for years now, once considering that the Iron Man protagonist would play Geppetto, the woodcarver whose puppet boy is granted the gift of life.

Writers Bryan Fuller (Hannibal), Jane Goldman (Kick Ass co-writer) and Michael Mitnick (The Giver) are among those said to have completed drafts based on Carlo Collodi’s book, but none of these have been what the Downeys have been looking for.

Carved by a woodcarver named Geppetto in a small Italian village, Pinocchio was created as a wooden puppet but dreamed of becoming a real boy. He has also been used as a character who is prone to telling lies and fabricating stories for various reasons. The story has appeared in many adaptations in other media and is known to be one of the most evolving stories in English literature.

Anderson is currently breaking from cinema after directing the Oscar-nominated Inherent Vice, so this task has been placed on his desk at the right time. It is a somewhat unlikely move for the director, but it would be interesting and majorly appealing to see the quirky director bring his ideas to the fairy tale story, particularly one of this style. The Inherent Vice director and Downey Jr. are close friends, so hopefully the Hollywood pair will collaborate well and formulate a certainly different take on the fairy tale story.