The first look at Tom Hanks’ role as Geppetto, the woodcarver, in Robert Zemeckis’ live-action adaptation of ‘Pinocchio’, was revealed by Disney+. The movie is slated to premiere exclusively on the streaming service this September.
The Academy Award-winning actor appears in a retelling of the popular tale of the titular wooden puppet who undertakes a thrilling journey to become a boy. Pinnochio is voiced by Benjamin Evan Ainsworth, while Joseph Gordon-Levitt lends his voice as the protagonist’s guide Jiminy Cricket. Cynthia Erivo as the Blue Fairy, Keegan-Michael Key as “Honest” John, Lorraine Bracco as Sofia the Seagull, and Luke Evans as The Coachman round out the cast.
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The script comes from Zemeckis and Chris Weitz. Zemeckis, Derek Hogue, Andrew Miano, Chris Weitz and Paul Weitz are attached as producers, while Jackie Levine, Jack Rapke, Alexandra Derbyshire and Jeremy Johns are executive producing.
Hanks will next be seen in ‘Elvis‘, the Baz Luhrmann movie, which is in post-production and slated for a 2022 release. He plays the role of Colonel Tom Parker, who recognizes the talent Elvis holds and becomes the manager of the legendary singer.
Meanwhile, Robert Zemeckis is known for some very successful collaborations with Hanks including ‘Forrest Gump‘ and ‘Cast Away’. Apart from the upcoming Disney+ movie, Zemeckis has another project in the pipeline, titled ‘The King’. It tells the story of King Kamehameha, who looks to fulfil the destiny of his life by uniting the Hawaiian islands. Dwayne Johnson is slated to play the protagonist in the film.
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Notably, this is not the only version of ‘Pinocchio’ in the works. A Netflix movie from Guillermo del Toro is also coming out in 2022 and promises to be a much darker tale. Ewan McGregor plays Sebastian J. Cricket in the film. The character is the cricket living in Pinocchio’s wooden heart. David Bradley as Geppetto, Gregory Mann as Pinocchio, Finn Wolfhard, Cate Blanchett, John Turturro, Ron Perlman, Tim Blake Nelson, and Burn Gorman, with Christoph Waltz and Tilda Swinton, round out the cast.
