Luke Evans is adding another villainous Disney role to his resume, the actor is reportedly set to star opposite Tom Hanks in a live-action adaption of Pinocchio as The Coachman, Deadline reports.
In December, Disney announced at their Investor Day conference that the live action adaption of Pinocchio will debut on their streaming service Disney+ rather than cinemas.
The film will be written by Robert Zemeckis and Chris Weitz, with the former also directing the tale about a wooden puppet carved by a woodcarver named Geppetto. Pinocchio dreams of becoming a real boy, and every time he tells a lie, his wooden nose grows.
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Disney released their animated musical film based on the children's novel The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi in 1940. It was the second animated feature film produced by Disney, following the success of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in 1937.
Pinocchio became the first animated feature to win a competitive Academy Award - it won two for Best Original Score and Best Original Song for "When You Wish Upon a Star."
The film was released during World War II which affected its box office performance, however it was re-released in 1945 and several times in the following years. Pinocchio is now considered one of the greatest films ever made with a 100 per cent rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
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Tom Hanks is set to star as Pinocchio's creator Geppetto in the live-action adaptation, which has been in development since 2015.
Luke most recently starred in ITV's true crime drama series The Pembrokeshire Murders, based on the murders committed by the Welsh serial killer John Cooper. Luke played Detective Superintendent Steve Wilkins who reopened the two unsolved double murders and the investigation eventually led to Cooper's conviction.
Luke's most recent Disney role was Gaston in the 2017 live-action adaption of Beauty and the Beast. A television prequel titled Little Town is currently in development and will focus on Gaston (played once again by Luke Evans) and Josh Gad's LeFou.
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