According to The Wrap, Tony Award-winning actress and singer Cynthia Erivo has been cast as the Blue Fairy in the upcoming remake of Pinocchio.
Read: Exclusive: Alan Silvestri to Compose Disney+’s ‘Pinocchio’ With Glen Ballard Writing New Songs
Erivo has received critically acclaim for multiple performances in recent years including as Harriet Tubman in 2019’s Harriet and in the Broadway revival of The Color Purple for which she won her Tony. She is only one award away from being an EGOT, as she has not yet won an Academy Award, despite being nominated twice. She is slated to appear in the series Genius as Aretha Franklin for National Geographic.
Also announced Wednesday is more casting for the film. Joseph Gordon-Levitt will be the voice of Jiminy Cricket and Keegan-Michael Key will be the voice of Honest John. The film will reportedly combine live-action and visual effects so these performances may include more than just voiceover work.
Other cast members joining today include Benjamin Evan Ainsworth as the titular Pinocchio and Lorraine Bracco as a new character, Sofia the Seagull. Ainsworth previously worked with Disney in the recent Disney+ film Flora & Ulysses.
The previously announced cast includes Tom Hanks as Geppetto and Luke Evans as The Coachman.
The film will be directed by Robert Zemeckis, best known for the Back to the Future franchise and Forrest Gump. He most recently directed the remake of The Witches for HBO Max. Frequent collaborator Alan Silvestri will be working with Glen Ballard to write new songs for the film, though classics such as “When You Wish Upon a Star” will also be included.
The film will make its debut on Disney+.
