Guillermo del Toro is known for his striking visuals and dark takes on classic fairytales, so hype for his upcoming adaptation of Pinocchio is through the roof. Told through stop-motion, the trailer promises that this is “a story you think you know, but don’t.” Now, Deadline has confirmed that the movie will premiere at the 66th BFI London Film Festival, which takes place in Oct. 2022.
We don’t know exactly when the film will premiere, though a new del Toro movie will likely either be the highlight of the opening gala on Oct. 5 or close out the festival on Oct. 16. Either way, expectations are sky high, with the trailer confirming that it’s going to be a visual extravaganza in line with del Toro’s previous work, with the Blue Fairy particularly eye-catching.
The film can also boast an impressive cast. Ewan McGregor voices Cricket, David Bradley is Geppetto, and Gregory Mann plays Pinocchio himself. The supporting cast is also studded with talent, including Tilda Swinton, Cate Blanchett, Ron Perlman, John Turturro, Christop Waltz, Finn Wolfhard, and Tim Blake Nelson.
It’s worth noting that this adaptation has been a long time coming. Del Toro began development back in 2008 and it was originally intended for a 2013/14 release, though went into development hell and disappeared from schedules. But in 2018, Netflix swooped in to save the day, with it being confirmed to be completed as a collaboration between Netflix Animation, The Jim Henson Company, and Shadowmachine.
After the London premiere, Pinocchio will see a limited theatrical release in November before going on to be one of the highlights of Netflix’s holiday season line-up on Dec. 9.