Tom Hanks is Geppetto in the first-look image from Disney Plus’ Pinocchio
Hanks plays the puppet maker in the forthcoming live-action adaptation from Robert Zemeckis
Aux News Pinocchio
Tom Hanks is all greyed out and mustachioed for his role as the wood-carver Geppetto for Disney+’s forthcoming live-action adaptation of Pinocchio. In the children’s story, Geppetto not only creates the puppet but he also takes care of him like a son.
Pinocchio will tell the classic tale of a wooden toy who wants nothing more than to be a real boy, as originally penned in Carlo Collodi’s The Adventures of Pinocchio. It’s just one of two Pinocchio film adaptations set to hit streamers later this year, as Guillermo del Toro and Mark Gustafson’s stop-motion animated version will debut on Netflix in December.
The full cast of Pinocchio features Benjamin Evan Ainsworth (The Haunting of Bly Manor) as the voice of Pinocchio, with Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Pinocchio’s guide Jiminy Cricket, Cynthia Erivo as the Blue Fairy, Keegan-Michael Key as “Honest” John, Lorraine Bracco (The Sopranos) as Sofia the Seagull, and Luke Evans (Nine Perfect Strangers) as The Coachman.
Robert Zemeckis co-wrote the script of Pinocchio with Chris Weitz, who also wrote Disney’s 2015 retelling of Cinderella starring Lily James. The two produced the film alongside Derek Hogue, Andrew Miano and Paul Weitz. Jackie Levine, Jack Rapke, Alexandra Derbyshire and Jeremy Johns served as executive producers.
Hanks has worked with Zemeckis several times throughout his career, including in the films Cast Away, Forrest Gump, and The Polar Express. Zemeckis is best known for his work as the director of Back To The Future and Death Becomes Her. The director also previously worked with Gordon-Levitt in The Walk. His most recent work was the adaptation of Roald Dahl’s The Witches (2020), starring Anne Hathaway. In addition to Pinocchio, his other forthcoming project is The King with Dwayne Johnson set to lead.
Pinocchio will premiere exclusively on Disney+ in September.
48 Comments
F*ck Disney’s Pinocchio and every other cute version of it. The book is straight-up perverse. I read it as a kid and, along with some really disturbing illustrations, the story is so abject that I’m starting to think it contributed to some early depression.
You are a deeply unpleasant person
I love the book. Been decades since I read it, but… as I recall the Talking Cricket (no name in the book) tries to talk Pinocchio into being a nice boy, having a conscience, etc.And Pinocchio steps on the cricket and kills it. Kills it dead and it never comes back (it’s not a cockroach…).
Glad it didn’t scar you. I don’t like horror movies either – or Tom Hanks, for that matter.I don’t expect del Torro to give the story the saccharine treatment.
He didn’t step on it. He throws a block of wood at it and smooshes it against the wall….and the ghost of the cricket does make an appearance later on…My favorite wtf moment is when he bites the cat’s paw off when they try to steal the coins he’s hidden under his tongue. 😵💫
Actually, Figaro the cat ATE Jiminy, as cats will do. (See:Spinollio)
The book? You mean Fifty Shades of Geppetto?
Thank you. You may have resolved my issues, lol.
Disney’s Pinnochio might have been watered down, but the Pleasure Island donkey scene bothered me as a kid. So even watered down, it’s still a fucked up story. The animation is beautiful, but the way the story approaches morals puts me off of revisiting it.
Back in 2009, I went to Brussels and was in the Delirium bar. My best description of that bar was Pleasure Island. There were so many kids there drinking (I was in my late 20’s) and I felt really out of place.
What a dull anecdote.
Guillermo Del Toro’s upcoming version based on Gris Grimly’s illustrations will probably be more your speed.
So Disney’s version made the depression worse?
Tom Hanks is on the left?
Uh we already have a live action Pinocchio, it was from Roberto Benigni and everybody loved it don’t bother looking up reviews.
Which one? Somehow he’s in TWO live-action versions!
There’s another one with Drew Carey as Geppetto.
Drew Carey is a wood carver who would like to carve a three-car garage out of his own head.
And one with Martin Landau straight off winning an Oscar for Ed Wood
This looks worse than Saving Private Ryan, and that was an all-round terrible movie.
citation missing
I wouldn’t say “all around terrible”, but I’d say wildly overrated with a dreadful script that was brilliantly directed.
I think the first part was well-directed, but the remaining 3/4ths was on the corny side, like Amistad or War Horse corny.
It was definitely corny AF with a horrible framing sequence.
Well yeah but it’s a Tom Hanks movie that’s almost a requirement.
Better than Drew Carey, I guess.
I’m confused, Gepetto isn’t a hokey American hero, why is Tom Hanks playing him
Um, is this an article or a press release? ತ_ತAnd there is yet another Pinocchio movie coming to streaming this year, though I can understand why people would want to forget it:
Pinocchio gets a woody
A Toy Story/Pinnochio crossover?
Why did Cinderella get kicked out of Disneyland? She got caught sitting in Pinocchio’s face and screaming “Lie! Tell the Truth! Lie! Tell the Truth!” over and over
Father when can I leave to be on my OoOohWwwWnNnNn.
The best worst part of this is the animations is so bad you can’t tell that Pinocchio is a wooden puppet man and the rest of the people are not.
Great. A movie as pointless as Hook.
Tom Hanks is Italian? If not, I’m offended.
It’s-a me, Tom-a Hanks-a!
You know that makes Collin and Chad the “Hank’s” brothers. Chad is the Luigi of the group
Yeah Chad definitely has the highest vertical.
They would have gotten a wooden actor for the puppet, but Keanu is too old.
I just saw the preview for the Elvis movie where he plays Colonel Tom Parker. Seems like a thematic through-line with this.
I mean…he’s a puppet. Of course he’s got dead eyes.
Black eyes. A dolls eyes.
And if you bore him, you’re gonna lose your soul.
“I’m a real boy! I want some ham! And some wine!”
How incredibly bland.
I am convinced that these are written by an A.I.
The coachman has to be one of the scariest Disney villain designs ever.