Image credit: Deadline.
Disney's upcoming live-action take on Pinocchio has filled two more key roles, with Joseph Gordon-Levitt (The Dark Knight Rises, Looper) joining the cast as Jiminy Cricket, and Cynthia Ervio (Widows, The Outsider) set to play the Blue Fairy.
Though a fairly minor character in Carlo Collodi's original story, Jiminy had a much larger role in the animated classic, serving as Pinocchio's official "conscience." Likewise, the Blue Fairy appeared at pivotal moments in an attempt to keep the little fella on the straight and narrow.
THR has also revealed that Benjamin Evan Ainsworth (Flora and Ulysses) will provide the voice of the titular wooden boy, while Keegan-Michael Key (The Predator) will bring life to Honest John. Lorraine Bracco (Goodfellas, The Sopranos) is also on board as a new character, Sofia the Seagull.
They join Tom Hanks as Pinocchio's father/creator Geppetto, and Luke Evans (Beauty and the Beast) as The Coachman.
Back to the Future director Robert Zemeckis will helm the project, and also co-wrote the script with Chris Weitz. No release date has been set, but the movie is expected to commence production in the UK later this month.
Like Lady and the Tramp, Pinocchio will skip theatres and head straight to Disney+.
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Mark Cassidy is a writer, photographer, amateur filmmaker, and Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic from Dublin, Ireland.