The Live-Action Pinocchio Cast Is Truly a Wish Upon a Star Come True
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The latest Disney movie to get the live-action treatment is Pinocchio, and the movie is finally finding some of its major cast members! According to The Hollywood Reporter, the cast includes Oscar winners and top-tier A-listers, along with a budding young star playing Pinocchio himself. The movie is set to begin production this month, combining live-action acting with high-tech computer imagery and animation. It's set to debut on Disney+ at some point in the future, although an exact release date has not yet been announced.
(To be clear, this movie is not the Guillermo del Toro adaptation for Netflix; that's an entirely different project based on the original Italian children's novel, not the animated Disney movie).
Ahead, check out all the big stars who have signed on for this Disney remake and see which of the movie's iconic characters they'll be playing.
Benjamin Evan Ainsworth as Pinocchio
Ainsworth is the young star set to voice Pinocchio, but this isn't his first time working on a large-scale project. The 11-year-old actor played Miles in last year's The Haunting of Bly Manor and can be seen in the new Disney+ comedy Flora & Ulysses.
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Tom Hanks as Geppetto
America's dad Tom Hanks is officially playing Pinocchio's dad, too! Hanks will play Geppetto, the puppet maker who longs for a son of his own. Hanks has stayed behind the scenes more and more these days, but that hasn't stopped him from acting in major projects like A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood and News of the World. Up next: playing Elvis's manager Colonel Tom Parker in an as-yet-untitled biopic.
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Cynthia Erivo as the Blue Fairy
Tony winner Erivo will play the famous Blue Fairy, Pinocchio's guiding fairy. Erivo received Oscar nominations — both as actress and as songwriter — for her work in 2019's Harriet, and she most recently starred as Aretha Franklin in the Genius miniseries dedicated to Franklin's life.
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Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Jiminy Cricket
Gordon-Levitt is taking on one of the most iconic roles in pop culture: Jiminy Cricket, the embodiment of the conscience. The actor has been a Hollywood staple for well over a decade now, most recently appearing as Richard Schulz in The Trial of the Chicago 7.
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Keegan-Michael Key as Honest John
The comedian is set to play Honest John, a con-artist fox who tricks Pinocchio in the original animated Disney movie. Key, of course, is known for his versatile comedy work and most recently appeared in the Netflix movie musicals Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey and The Prom.
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Lorraine Bracco as Sofia the Seagull
Bracco is the only announced cast member to be playing a character created just for the live-action film: Sofia the Seagull. In the earlier years of her career, Bracco was best known for her role in mob dramas like the movie Goodfellas and the TV series The Sopranos. She then moved on to more leading roles, such as Angela Rizzoli in the detective series Rizzoli & Isles and Mayor Margaret Dutton on Blue Bloods.