Oscar winner Roberto Benigni (Life Is Beautiful) has been set to star as Geppetto in Gomorrah and Dogman director Matteo Garrone’s live action version of Pinocchio. Garrone will direct his own screenplay, an adaptation of Carlo Collodi’s classic about a living puppet who with the help of a cricket as his conscience, must prove himself worthy to become a real boy. Geppetto is the puppet’s creator. Benigni wrote, directed as starred as the title character in a 2002 live-action version of Pinocchio.

The film is an international co-production between Italy and France, produced by Matteo Garrone’s Archimede Films, Rai Cinema and Jean Labadie’s Le Pacte, with Jeremy Thomas’ Recorded Picture Company. HanWay Films reps world rights. Rai Cinema will release the film in Italy, and Le Pacte in France. Shooting starts in the first quarter of 2019 on location in Italy across Lazio, Tuscany and Puglia.