Remember when the news broke today that Will Smith is in talks for the lead role of the Dumbo remake? Yeah, it turns out, there's more. According to Variety, Tom Hanks is also in talks for a role. Now, Hanks isn't competing with Smith for a role. While Smith is wanted for the protagonist, Hanks is wanted for the villain role. Which many Disney fans would consider to be odd, as Hanks has played both Woody and Walt Disney himself for the studio in the past.
Variety also shed some light on the role Disney wants Smith to portray. Now, Smith isn't being asked to play Dumbo (obviously), TImothy, or (thankfully) one of the crows. This is, in fact, a new character who works at a zoo where he and his children befriend the flying elephant. There are no details on the villain role yet We also have word that Hanks might hae to choose between this and a WWII drama called The Grey Hound. Plus, if Smith joins the project, it might have on affect on the upcoming Bad Boys movie, Bad Boys For Life, meaning this could push back or put the film in development hell.
Details on Smith and Hanks make it clear that this is more of a reboot than a remake. Which makes sense since the original film had no prominent human characters and was barley an hour long. Plus, it was based off of a short children's story (which no one can find). Although, one has to ask, since the original is seen as an animated classic, will anyone from the original film appear besides Dumbo?
So, do you want Smith and Hanks to join the film? Would their involvment turn you around on the project? What do you think of the original? Comment Below.
Dumbo will be directed by Tim Burton (Batman), produce by Justin Spinger (TRON: Legacy), and written by Ehren Kruger (Transformers). The release date is unknown.