Disney is eyeing Oscar-winning filmmakerSam Mendesto direct their upcoming live-action adaptation of the 1940 animated classic,Pinocchio. Per Deadline, the studio is in early talks with theAmerican BeautyandSkyfalldirector for the project, though additional details are scarce. Last we heard,Peter Hedges(Pieces of April,Dan in Real Life) was penning a script looselybased on the original story.
Recently, Mendes was in talks toa to direct a live-action adaptationofRoald Dahl‘sJames and the Giant Peachfor Disney. There’s no update on the status of that project and as the studio has demonstrated withJon Favreau, they don’t have any problem developing two projects with the same director (however, Favreau has deep roots at Disney and Mendes hasn’t worked in-house before). It’s also possible the conversation just evolved. Both films certainly provide plenty of opportunities to explore aesthetic and technology.
Mendes is also attached to anadaptation of the graphic novelMy Favorite Thing is Monstersat Sony, as well as an adaptation of the best-selling novelBeautiful Ruinsfor Fox 2000. He was developing The Voyeur’s Motel with Dreamworks and Stephen Speilberg but that project reportedly fizzled due to an issue with the rights. He is also producing theJane AustenpictureLost in Austenfor Sony.
Disney’s live-action spin on Pinocchio is one of a few reinventions of Carlo Collodi’s classic children’s novel that are in development.Guillermo Del Torohas been hard at work on a stop-motion incarnation for years and recently recruitedOver the Garden WallfilmmakerPatrick McHaleto co-write a new draft of the script. Del Toro has described his concept asa spin on the Frankenstein myth. Over at Warner Bros.,Susan DowneyandRobert Downey Jr.are working on a version that would star RDJ as Gepetto, and hadPaul Thomas Andersonattached to direct for a while.
Meanwhile, at Disney you can expect a much more classic approach as the studio is sliding into a streak of home runs with their live-action remakes.The Jungle BookandBeauty and the Beastwere both enormous successes for Disney’s live-action wing, and they’ve got an enormous lineup of other adaptations on the docket includingNiki Caro’sMulan,Tim Burton’sDumboandGuy Ritchie’sAladdin, among many, many others.
