Hot off their collaboration on Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children, Deadline is reporting that Eva Green has entered negotiations to board Tim Burton’s live-action Dumbo movie at Disney. Bright star Will Smith was once in contention to headline the picture, but ultimately decided to pass.
Pitched as a new interpretation of the 1941 animated classic, Dumbo is reportedly inching closer and closer to a production start, with Green now officially in talks to play one of the film’s three main adult roles. Beyond that, story details are few and far between, but assuming Eva Green signs on, Disney’s casting department will no doubt be transformed into a hive of activity over the coming weeks and months as Tim Burton and writer-producer Ehren Kruger begin to zero in on their roster of talent. As for the loveable, big-eared circus elephant, sources close to the production claim the Mouse House plans to utilize cutting-edge CGI when bringing Dumbo to life, not unlike the VFX work seen in Jon Favreau’s The Jungle Book.
It’s still early, early days on this particular live-action project, then, but later this month Disney will cordially invite moviegoers near and far to experience Beauty and the Beast like never before. Preliminary box office forecasts predict a big opening for Bill Condon’s star-studded reimagining – think Captain America: Civil War levels big – while one glance at the Mouse House’s upcoming slate reveals similar reboots of The Lion King, Mulan and Cruella, a new spin on the 101 Dalmations fairytale that places La La Land star Emma Stone in that iconic fur coat.
As for Eva Green, the Penny Dreadful star is one of the most sought-after actresses in Hollywood. She’s worked with Burton two times before, including the aforementioned Miss Peregrine’s and Dark Shadows, so recruiting Green for Dumbo certainly makes a lot of sense on paper.
Stay tuned for more as we’ll be bringing you all the latest as this story unfolds.