Disney has revealed a first-look image at the upcoming live-action remake of Pinocchio that reveals Tom Hanks as the eponymous puppet boy’s father, Geppetto. 2022 must the Year of Pinocchio, as there are two retellings of the fairy tale coming over the next few months, with Disney’s version arriving alongside Guillermo del Toro’s stop-motion animated effort for Netflix. As del Toro’s film is out in December, the first one audiences will get to see is the Mouse House’s reboot, which is premiering on streaming this September.
And, going by this first glimpse, Disney’s Pinocchio promises to be yet another faithful adaptation of one of their animated classics. With a fluffy white wig and mustache, Hanks looks like a close match for Geppetto’s design in the 1940 original, while the Pinocchio puppet — who will be voiced by Benjamin Evan Ainsworth (The Haunting of Bly Manor) — sitting on the tabletop in front of him could not be a more accurate recreation of the OG character.
See the pic for yourself via the gallery below:
Anyone familiar with the story will know this still comes from just before Pinocchio is granted life by the Blue Fairy, though the wooden kid’s desire to become a real boy will lead him to embark on many a wild adventure. Joining Hanks and Ainsworth in the cast is Cynthia Erivo as the Blue Fairy, and Luke Evans as the villainous Coachman, who leads Pinocchio to Pleasure Island. Joseph Gordon-Levitt, meanwhile, provides the voice of Jiminy Cricket, with Keegan-Michael Key as devious fox Honest John, and Lorraine Bracco as new character Sofia the Seagull.
Legendary director Robert Zemeckis directs a script he co-wrote with Chris Weitz (Cinderella), marking the Back to the Future filmmaker’s first collaboration with Hanks since 2004’s The Polar Express. With Broadway stars like Erivo and Evans on board, expect this remake to retain the old film’s iconic songs.
Look out for Pinocchio on Disney Plus this fall.
