When it was reported last year that a live-action Dumbo movie was in the works, most people were left baffled. With Maleficent proving to a success and Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast both on the way, it’s clear that Disney seem intent on reintroducing their animated back catalogue to moviegoers in live-action.
How Dumbo will work remains to be seen (CGI is certainly at the right stage for the loveable elephant to be brought to live in a convincing manner on the big screen), but the movie now has a director; Tim Burton.
His take on Alice in Wonderland grossed over $1 billion at the worldwide box office, so you have to imagine that Disney are hoping for similar results when he takes on this remake of the classic and beloved 1941 film.
Transformers writer Ehren Kruger penned the screenplay and it has actually been reported by some sites that Dumbo will be a mixture of live-action and CGI. That seems right up Burton’s street, but can he avoid making it too weird, and most importantly, can he avoid casting former box office draw Johnny Depp?
We’ll have to wait and see, but before Dumbo, Burton will helm Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children.
