Earlier this year, Sam Mendes was said to be in “early talks” to direct a live-action remake of “Pinocchio”, but those talks appear to have resulted in the director stepping away from Disney’s latest live-action version of one of its animated classics.
According to The Tracking Board website, sources are claiming that Mendes’ decision to decline “Pinocchio” has no connection to recent rumours that he’ll be returning to the James Bond franchise, which would see Mendes reunite with 007 star Daniel Craig for a third time to create a 007 trilogy that would include the already produced “Skyfall” and “Spectre”.
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Whether or not Mendes decides to tackle another Bond film remains up in the air, as other directors rumoured to be in the running for the still-untitled “Bond 25” include Denis Villeneuve (“Blade Runner 2049”), David McKenzie (“Hell or High Water”) and Yann Demange (“71”).
Meanwhile, The Tracking Board notes that Disney shouldn’t have a tough time finding another director to tell its story of the wooden marionette who is magically transformed into a flesh-and-blood boy, as the studio has previously managed to tap such A-list directors as Jon Favreau (“Jungle Book” and the forthcoming “The Lion King”), Bill Condon (“Beauty and the Beast”) and Tim Burton (“Alice in Wonderland” and the sequel, “Alice Through the Looking Glass”).
