The famous director will now look to gear up the casting process, specifically trying to find his Geppetto. At one point, Tom Hanks was circling the role, but eventually passed. Andrew Miano and Chris Weitz are producing. King, Weitz and Simon Farnaby wrote the most recent draft. The original animated movie tells the tale about a living puppet who, with the help of a cricket as his conscience, must prove himself worthy to become a real boy.
Disney continues to see its live-action adaptation strategy as a major part of its pipeline, with this year’s “Aladdin” and “The Lion King” both crossing the billion dollar milestone this year.
In recent years, Zemeckis has been more focused on adult-centered dramas like “Flight,” “Allied” and “Welcome to Marwen,” and less interested in the tentpoles that made him famous early in his career. Zemeckis has started to come back around on those family-friendly films like “Back to the Future,” having just finished Warner Bros.’ adaptation of “The Witches” starring Anne Hathaway.
