Live-action remakes of Disney movies have become a popular trend in recent years, and the studio shows no signs of slowing down, with multiple high-profile projects headed to theaters and Disney+ in the coming years. Among those upcoming projects is a live-action retelling of Pinocchio, which will be directed by Back to the Future‘s Robert Zemeckis and star Tom Hanks. While a lot of details surrounding the project are still a mystery, a new report could indicate at a major casting for the film. The Illuminerdi is reporting that Disney is interested in having young actor Oakes Fegley play the role of Lampwick in the film.
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In the original film, Lampwick is a street-savvy boy who befriends Pinocchio on their way to Pleasure Island, but eventually proves to have a dark part in the titular character’s journey. Lampwick has since cameoed in Disney-related properties Who Framed Roger Rabbit and House of Mouse.
Fegley is known for his roles in Pete’s Dragon, Person of Interest, The Goldfinch, and The War With Grandpa.
Disney confirmed the film was coming to Disney+ in December of last year, as part of the company’s expansive Investor Day presentation. Hanks is poised to portray Geppetto. Other cast and crew members tied to the project are unknown.
While the decision to move the live-action Pinocchio to Disney+ was seen as somewhat controversial to some, it definitely could help the project find a large audience. Towards the end of last year, Disney confirmed that the streaming service had surpassed 73.7 million paid subscribers, and the number is only expected to grow more.
“Even with the disruption caused by COVID-19, we’ve been able to effectively manage our businesses while also taking bold, deliberate steps to position our company for greater long-term growth,” Disney CEO Bob Chapek said in a statement at the time. “The real bright spot has been our direct-to-consumer business, which is key to the future of our company, and on this anniversary of the launch of Disney+ we’re pleased to report that, as of the end of the fourth quarter, the service had more than 73 million paid subscribers – far surpassing our expectations in just its first year.”
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