Disney+ Day is just a day away but last night saw a few Disney executives teasing a few upcoming projects on a “quarterly investors call.” Targetting almost a year ahead, Disney announced various projects which will invade into the audiences’ households sometime in the neighborhood of early fall or next summer. Among these projects were, The Rogue One: A Star Wars Story spinoff titled Andor, Ms. Marvel from Marvel Studios, and the live-action remake of Disney’s Pinocchio. Like most Disney remakes, Pinocchio has its roots in a public domain fable but will draw most of the inspiration from the classic Disney animated film.
A Live-Action Pinocchio Film Is Coming, Thanks To Disney
Pinocchio sees the story of a puppeteer named Gepetto, who goes on to wish that one of his puppets come to life as he is too lonely in his own life. His wish comes true and his puppet, Pinocchio, sets off on an adventure in the hopes of proving that he’s a “real boy” than just strings and animated wood.
During last evening’s call, Disney Chief Financial Officer Christine McCarthy revealed that the film is set to debut on Disney+ somewhere around the fourth quarter next year, although the exact release date is still unknown. Usually, Disney’s fourth-quarter is between July and September.
The Film Is Directed By Forrest Gump Director Robert Zemeckis
Forrest Grump and Back to the Future director Robert Zemeckis will be helming the film, with Tom Hanks playing the role of Gepetto. Hanks and Zemeckis have previously collaborated on the CG adaptation of The Polar Express in 2004.
Many filmmakers have objected to direct-to-streaming as a release strategy, but Zemeckis seemed unaffected by the plans. It was announced last December that Pinocchio might head straight to the app, and after a quarter where the growth of their subscription finally cooled down, it can be likely a good thing to have a lot of big projects to look forward to, at the presentation tomorrow.
“Even with the disruption caused by COVID-19, we’ve been able to effectively manage our businesses while also taking bold, deliberate steps to position our company for greater long-term growth,” Disney CEO Bob Chapek said last year. “The real bright spot has been our direct-to-consumer business, which is key to the future of our company, and on this anniversary of the launch of Disney+ we’re pleased to report that, as of the end of the fourth quarter, the service had more than 73 million paid subscribers – far surpassing our expectations in just its first year.”
Apart from Tom Hanks, Pinocchio would also star Joseph Gordon-Levitt voicing Jiminy Cricket, Cynthia Erivo as The Blue Fairy, Keegan Michael Key as Honest John, Luke Evans as the Coachman, and Benjamin Evan in the title role.
