When you wish upon a star, you just might get Tom Hanks.
The Oscar winner is reportedly in very early negotiations to take on another beloved role, Geppetto in Disney and Robert Zemeckis’ live-action “Pinocchio” retelling, sources told Deadline Wednesday.
Despite the status, the “Greyhound” star, 64, reportedly reached out to his “Forrest Gump” director Zemeckis to throw his hat in the ring.
The studio has wanted the “Toy Story” star to take on the role of the woodcarver — who’s responsible for creating the titular marionette and raising the “real boy” whose nose grows when he lies — at least as early as 2018 when “Paddington” director was attached to helm the project.
That particular rendition never materialized but with the success of Hanks and Zemeckis’ lengthy collaboration — which included Oscar-winning “Forrest Gump,” as well as 2000’s “Cast Away” and 2004’s “The Polar Express” — the new arrangement appears more likely to happen, the outlet notes.
“Forrest Gump” nabbed six Academy Awards at the 1995 Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Actor for Hanks and Best Director for Zemeckis.
All three of the duo’s collaborations have been nominated for multiple Oscars.
Perhaps the most famous film adaptation of “Pinocchio” is Disney’s 1940 animated feature, which in 1994 was inducted into the Library of Congress’ National Film Registry during which it was dubbed “one of Walt Disney’s finest cinematic achievements.”
The film won the Oscar for Best Music, Original Score and Best Music Original Song for “When You Wish Upon a Star,” now a staple for Disney fans.
Oscar-winning director Guillermo del Toro has his own darker stop-motion incarnation of “Pinocchio” — also based on the 1883 Italian novel “The Adventures of Pinocchio” — currently slated for a 2021 release.