Cate Blanchett and Tilda Swinton join Guillermo del Toro’s musical remake of Pinocchio

Cate Blanchett and Tilda Swinton join Guillermo del Toro’s musical remake of Pinocchio… after Ewan McGregor revealed he was voicing Jiminy Cricket

Cate Blanchett and Tilda Swinton have signed on for Guillermo del Toro’s remake of Pinocchio, it was revealed by Netflix on Wednesday.

The Miss America star, 51, and actress, 59, lead the star-studded line-up which also includes Ewan Mcgregor, who will voice Jiminy Cricket in the hotly-anticipated stop motion musical.

While Cate and Tilda’s characters have yet to be revealed, other big names to appear in the production include David Bradley, who will voice Gepetto, Christoph Waltz, Finn Wolfhard, Ron Perlman and Tim Blake Nelson.

Exciting: Cate Blanchett and Tilda Swinton join Guillermo del Toro’s musical remake of Pinocchio, Netflix revealed on Wednesday

Newcomer Gregory Mann is set to play Pinocchio in the film, which is a passion project for del Toro who is directing the flick alongside Fantastic Mr. Fox’s animation director Mark Gustafson.

In June, Ewan revealed that he would be playing Jiminy Cricket in the remake of the iconic 1940 film when speaking with ACE Universe in a Zoom interview. 

The movie, which is set for release in 2021, will be directed by Guillermo del Toro and will tell a darker story than the Disney classic. 

Big names: While Cate and Tilda's characters have yet to be revealed, other big names to appear in the production include David Bradley, Christoph Waltz, and Finn Wolfhard

Big names: While Cate and Tilda’s characters have yet to be revealed, other big names to appear in the production include David Bradley, Christoph Waltz, and Finn Wolfhard

Ewan shared: ‘I’m playing Jiminy Cricket in Guillermo del Toro’s version of Pinocchio. That I had started working on before I left for New York, so some of that is recorded.

‘Of course it’s stop-motion animated so it’s going to take them a great long time to make that film.  

‘But my first part, which is recording his dialogue, is sort of done. There may or may not be a song that has to be recorded. I’m not sure I’m at liberty to discuss that.’ 

Announcement: In June, Ewan revealed that he would be playing Jiminy Cricket in the remake of the iconic 1940 film when speaking with ACE Universe in a Zoom interview

Announcement: In June, Ewan revealed that he would be playing Jiminy Cricket in the remake of the iconic 1940 film when speaking with ACE Universe in a Zoom interview

Lead role: Ewan explained that he 'had started working on before I left for New York, so some of that is recorded' prior to the coronavirus crisis

Lead role: Ewan explained that he ‘had started working on before I left for New York, so some of that is recorded’ prior to the coronavirus crisis

Set during the rise of Fascism in Mussolini’s Italy, the film draws on the classic Carlo Collodi tale and was first conceived in 2010, it will be based on the darker story of Pinocchio found in a 2002 book illustrated by Gris Grimly.

Of the project, del Toro gushed: ‘After years of pursuing this dream project, I found my perfect partner in Netflix. 

‘We have spent a long time curating a remarkable cast and crew and have been blessed by continuous support from Netflix to quietly and carefully soldier on, barely missing a beat. 

‘We all love and practice animation with great passion and believe it to be the ideal medium to retell this classic story in a completely new way.’

Plot: Set during the rise of Fascism in Mussolini’s Italy, the film is based on the classic Carlo Collodi tale as well as a darker story found in a 2002 book illustrated by Gris Grimly

Plot: Set during the rise of Fascism in Mussolini’s Italy, the film is based on the classic Carlo Collodi tale as well as a darker story found in a 2002 book illustrated by Gris Grimly

The director has worked on the song lyrics for the film alongside Katz, while he also co-wrote the script with Patrick McHale.

Alexandre Desplat is scoring the animation, while the film’s puppets have been built by Mackinnon and Saunders, who previously worked on Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride.

It was revealed by Netflix that production has continued uninterrupted on the film amid the coronavirus pandemic, after first starting out during winter last year.  

Delighted: del Toro (pictured) said he has 'spent a long time curating a remarkable cast and crew', as Netflix revealed production has continued uninterrupted during the pandemic

Delighted: del Toro (pictured) said he has ‘spent a long time curating a remarkable cast and crew’, as Netflix revealed production has continued uninterrupted during the pandemic

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