‘Paddington 2’s’ Paul King in Talks to Direct Live-Action ‘Pinocchio’
Following the critical acclaim of “Paddington 2,” Disney is in talks with director Paul King to helm its live-action “Pinocchio,” sources tell Variety.
Andrew Miano and Chris Weitz are producing. Jack Thorne is rewriting the script.
The original animated classic follows the age-old tale about a living puppet, who with the help of a cricket as his conscience, must prove himself worthy to become a real boy.
King has been on the industry’s radar after “Paddington 2,” which shattered Rotten Tomatoes records, becoming the site’s most-critically acclaimed pic of all time. Since the film’s opening, King also recently landed the directing job on Warner Bros.’ Willy Wonka origin movie.
The move would push forward yet another live-action reboot of a Disney classic. The studio’s feature film strategy has been working, as its live-action “Beauty and the Beast” film made $1.2 billion worldwide last year and “The Jungle Book” grossed $966.5 million worldwide the year before.
Jon Favreau is currently filming his live-action version of “The Lion King” and Tim Burton recently wrapped production on “Dumbo” starring Colin Farrell. The studio is also currently developing live-action pics for “Mulan” and “Sword in the Stone.”
King is repped by WME and Independent Talent Group.
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