Guillermo Del Toro Has Cast Ewan McGregor As Jiminy Cricket In His Pinocchio Movie

Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio stop-motion film, which was announced back in 2018, is making progress, with a major casting decision having come to light. In a video interview with Ace Universe, actor Ewan McGregor (Obi-Wan in the Star Wars prequels) announced that he's playing Jiminy Cricket in the upcoming film, and that recording had started before the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the interview, which was picked up on by Entertainment Weekly, McGregor says that he recorded some lines "before (he) left for New York," and that since the film is stop-motion he expects that it is some time away from being finished yet. "But my first part of that, which is recording his dialogue, is sort of done," he said.

However, he hints that there "may or may not be a song that needs to be recorded," likely hinting at the iconic "When You Wish Upon A Star" from the 1940 Disney film. In the original, the song was sung by Cliff Edwards, the voice of the animated Jiminy Cricket.

McGregor is also set to star in the upcoming Disney+ Obi-Wan series, which will shoot in 2021. It will use some of the same tech as The Mandalorian.

If you'd like to check out more from del Toro, here's our ranking of his filmography.

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