Tony winner Cynthia Erivo, who will soon be seen as Aretha Franklin in limited series Genius: Aretha, has landed a role in Disney's live-action Pinocchio, according to TheWrap.
The stage and screen star will play the Blue Fairy, a companion to both Pinocchio and Jiminy Cricket during their many adventures, and the one who is able to fulfill Geppetto’s wish, transforming Pinocchio into a boy.
Erivo will be part of a cast that also includes Oscar winner Tom Hanks as Geppetto, Luke Evans as The Coachman, Benjamin Evan Ainsworth as the voice of Pinocchio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt as the voice of Jiminy Cricket, Keegan-Michael Key as the voice of Honest John, and Lorraine Bracco as the voice of the new character, Sofia the Seagull.
Directed by Robert Zemeckis from a script he penned with Chris Weitz, the film, combining live action and visual effects, will begin production in April in the U.K. and will subsequently debut on Disney+.
The 1940 Disney film Pinocchio, about the adventures of a wooden puppet whose nose grows each time he stretches the truth, featured such songs as "Hi-Diddle-Dee-Dee (An Actor's Life for Me)," "No Strings on Me," and "When You Wish Upon a Star," sung by Pinocchio's sidekick Jiminy Cricket.
Erivo's numerous projects include a forthcoming debut album, a children's book due in the fall, and the upcoming Apple TV+ series Roar.
