Luke Evans to Play Villain in Disney Live-Action 'Pinocchio' Remake

Luke Evans has been tapped to play the villainous character of The Coachman in an upcoming live-action retelling of the classic children's tale Pinocchio. Deadline reported Robert Zemeckis will direct and Tom Hanks will play Geppetto in the Disney project that will bypass theaters and go straight to the streaming service Disney+. This is Evans's second movie with Disney, having previously appeared as Gaston in the 2017 remake of Beauty and the Beast.

The final casting has yet to be announced, but the cast and crew so far is star-studded. In addition to director Zemeckis (Forrest Gump, Back to the Future, Romancing the Stone) and Hanks, the studio has nabbed Chris Weitz (About a Boy, Cinderella) to cowrite the script with Zemeckis. Weitz and Andrew Miano (Golden Compass) and their Depth of Field company will produce, with music from Alan Silvestri.

The Pinocchio franchise has proven highly successful for Disney over the years, with over $120 million in box office receipts. No release date has been set for the project.

After Beauty and the Beast, Disney+ announced a six-episode spinoff centering Evans as Gaston and Josh Gad as LeFou. That project is titled The Little Town. A release date is not set for that project either.

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