Guillermo Del Toro Will Direct An Animated Pinocchio Movie For Netflix

Pacific Rim director Guillermo Del Toro has been associated with Netflix for several years now, having produced three seasons of the acclaimed animated show Trollhunters. It has now been reported that the filmmaker is set to make a new movie version of the classic fairy tale Pinocchio.

According to Variety, Del Toro will write, produce, and direct a feature-length, animated musical adaptation of Pinocchio for Netflix. The movie will be set in Italy in the 1930s, against the backdrop of fascism and the rise of the dictator Benito Mussolini. Del Toro has often set his fantasy films against real life historical backdrops, such as 1940s Spanish setting of Pan's Labyrinth and the Cold War of The Shape of Water.

In a statement, Del Toro explained why he was drawn to this project. "No art form has influenced my life and my work more than animation and no single character in history has had as deep of a personal connection to me as Pinocchio," he said. "In our story, Pinocchio is an innocent soul with an uncaring father who gets lost in a world he cannot comprehend. He embarks on an extraordinary journey that leaves him with a deep understanding of his father and the real world. I've wanted to make this movie for as long as I can remember."

This new version of Pinocchio isn't the only new production that Del Toro is working on for Netflix. In May, it was announced that he was developing a new horror anthology series for the streaming service titled 10 After Midnight. In addition, his Trollhunters spin-off series 3 Below will be released in in December.

For more Guillermo Del Toro coverage on GameSpot, check out our ranking of every movie he has made, and our guide to Del Toro's greatest monsters.