Danny DeVito, Eva Green, Colin Farrell and now Michael Keaton, Tim Burton certainly isn’t holding back the reins in trying to entice the big names to join his live-action Disney remake of the elephant that could fly, Dumbo.
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Burton certainly has the pulling power but what could really swing Keaton his way is the fact the pair has previously worked together on the likes of Batman and Beetlejuice in the course of their careers, isn’t it high time these two paired up again? It has been 28 years since Batman…. damn, now we feel old. With the constant rumbling of the Beetlejuice sequel bubbling away, this could be the perfect avenue for the pair to finally team up before any final decisions are made.
Keaton, who is next due on the big screen in the summer blockbuster Spider-Man: Homecoming as the villain, The Vulture, is being courted to play yet another villain in Burton’s Dumbo, a man who buys a circus to use the flying elephant for profit. We can only put it down to Keaton’s face that he would be playing the baddie again, there’s something about it that oozes evil, but we love him anyway.
If Burton can pull off this ensemble cast of exceptional talent, Dumbo will join the ranks of other live-action remakes Disney has in the works, such as The Lion King, The Little Mermaid and Mulan amongst others.
Keaton, whose career spans 42 years, has experienced somewhat of a revival over the past few years with his performances in both Birdman and Spotlight helping both pictures to achieve the Best Picture accolade at the Oscars. Most recently, he donned the persona of McDonald’s chief Ray Kroc in The Founder.
Along with Burton at the helm on Dumbo, Ehren Kruger will pen the script and will also produce alongside Justin Springer. Will it fly?
