Ewan McGregor voicing Jiminy Cricket in Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio
It’s been nearly two years since we last heard word that Guillermo del Toro would be co-directing a stop-motion adaptation of Carlo Collodi’s classic character Pinocchio and now it’s been revealed that Ewan McGregor (Birds of Prey) is set to voice the iconic Jiminy Cricket in the project! (Via Slash Film)
RELATED: Guillermo del Toro Heads to Netflix for Stop-Motion Pinocchio
In an interview with Ace Universe, McGregor talked about his work prior to the global pandemic shutdown and revealed he was halfway through filming in New York on the series Halston for Netflix as well as del Toro’s version of the puppet brought to life by a magic wish before returning to California for quarantine.
“That I had started working on before I left for New York, so some of that is recorded,” McGregor said. “And of course it’s stop-frame animation so it’s going to take them a great long time to make that film. But my first part, which is recording his dialogue, is sort of done. There may or may not be a song that has to be recorded. I’m not sure I’m at liberty to discuss that.”
The 49-year-old Golden Globe winner also noted he is currently still getting prepared for the highly-anticipated Obi-Wan Kenobi series at Disney+, taking the time to knock on wood that he and the crew will be able to begin shooting early next year.
RELATED: Disney Sets Live-Action Remakes of Pinocchio & Bambi
In the original announcement for the film in 2018, del Toro described his version of the story as featuring the titular character as “an innocent soul with an uncaring father who gets lost in a world he cannot comprehend” and praising the streaming service for allowing him to bring his creative vision to life.
“He embarks on an extraordinary journey that leaves him with a deep understanding of his father and the real world,” del Toro previously said. “I’ve wanted to make this movie for as long as I can remember. After the incredible experience we have had on Trollhunters, I am grateful that the talented team at Netflix is giving me the opportunity of a lifetime to introduce audiences everywhere to my version of this strange puppet-turned-real-boy.”
The film, which is being co-directed by Mark Gustafson and del Toro and co-written by del Toro and Patrick McHale, is expected to hit Netflix in 2021.