At the start of last year, we heard that Robert Downey, Jr. was being eyed to take the lead in the live-action movie, Pinocchio.
When that news first surfaced, Tim Burton was taking to the helm, and was seeking Downey, Jr. to take the titular leading role. However, Burton has since exited the project. And in recent interviews doing the rounds for Shane Black and Marvel’s Iron Man 3, Downey Jr. was asked who he’d like to direct him in Pinocchio instead, and his response was Ben Stiller.
The two of course worked together back in Tropic Thunder, which Stiller both directed and starred in, returning behind the camera for his first feature since 2001’s Zoolander.
Stiller has most recently been working on The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, in which he stars alongside Kristen Wiig and Adam Scott. Stiller took the first footage from the film to ComicCon, ahead of its release on Christmas Day this year, and the reaction was reportedly incredibly promising, with significant nods to its status as an Oscar contender this year.
Naturally, we would absolutely love to see a reunion between Stiller and Downey, Jr.
No negotiations have been made yet for Stiller to helm the project, but things are believed to have progressed as far as beginning discussions with writers for the film, which ought to be taken as a good sign.
Downey, Jr. is set to produce alongside his wife, Susan Downey. He wants to change the creative direction of the film from what he and Burton had originally imagined, and Warner Bros. are keen on that new direction.
Downey, Jr. can of course currently be seen in theatres in Shane Black’s Iron Man 3, which seems him reprise his leading role in the action blockbuster following 2010’s Iron Man 2 and 2012’s The Avengers. The film is dominating box offices all over the globe, with projections of $150m. and upwards at the US box office this weekend. With any luck, we’ll be hearing good news on the Pinocchio front in the not-too-distant future, and hopefully it will come with concrete involvement from Stiller, signed and sealed.
Source: via Deadline.
