Reports: Tom Hanks in talks to play Gepetto in 'Pinocchio'

Tom Hanks is reportedly in talks to play Gepetto the toymaker in a remake of "Pinocchio." File Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI Tom Hanks (L) and Rita Wilson arrive on the red carpet at the National Board of Review Annual Awards in New York City on January 9. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI Director Paul King attends the premiere of "Paddington 2" in Los Angeles on January 6. File Photo by Christine Chew/UPI

Nov. 30 (UPI) -- Oscar-winning actor Tom Hanks is in early talks to play kindly toymaker Geppetto in director Paul King's live-action remake of Disney's Pinocchio.

The title character is a puppet who wants to be a real boy.

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The Hollywood Reporter and Variety reported Hanks is considering the role of Pinocchio's creator and father figure.

Hanks already has a long history with Disney, having voiced the animated cowboy Woody in the Toy Story franchise since 1995, as well as playing Walt Disney himself in the 2013 live-action movie Saving Mr. Banks.

King helmed the recent Paddington blockbusters.

The Pinocchio redo would continue a trend where Disney has been releasing remakes of its cartoon classics using a mix of live-action performance and computer animation. The Jungle Book was released in 2016 to great acclaim and Beauty and the Beast was a box-office hit in 2017.

New versions of The Lion King, Aladdin and Dumbo -- using the same combination of live-action and photo-real animation -- are also on the way.

Oscar-winning The Shape of Water filmmaker Guillermo del Toro announced last month he is working on a separate Pinocchio project for Netflix. His take will be a stop-motion, animated musical.