Tim Burton Directing Dumbo!

Back in March The Hollywood Reporter confirmed that Dumbo would get a live action film. Up until then live action Disney films were on a successful streak. Then Tomorrowland showed up and unfortunately it didn’t perform as well as everyone up at Disney had hoped it would. So why should anyone even be hopeful for future of live action Disney films? Because one flop doesn’t mean squat! Every other movie that Disney has brought into live action has been an overall well known character name in the world of Disney. Tomorrowland did not share that, it just didn’t have enough brand awareness. One thing is for sure, Disney will probably be very hesitant if anyone comes in pitching an idea for a movie about Space Mountain. With the success of Maleficent and Cinderella, Disney has gone ahead and green lit two of their most famous animated classics into live action films — Beauty and the Beast, and Dumbo. While Bill Condon will helm Beauty and the Beast, Dumbo will be directed by none other than Tim Burton.

He is of course no stranger to the world of bringing Disney animated classics into live action. Chances are that if you were to ask your friends about Tim Burton’s 2010 Alice in Wonderland you’re most likely to get mixed feelings and thoughts about it. Some people loved it, others thought it was okay, and then there’s plenty of people who just didn’t enjoy the film.

There’s no denying that Tim Burton has a very unique style. You can instantly tell which movies he’s directed and which one’s he just kind of attached his name as a producer (yes, we’re talking about Batman Forever). His films are dark and gritty, and yet they are very playful. Tim Burton was a great pick for Alice in Wonderland because there’s so much weirdness happening in the story that it was a perfect fit for him to bring to life. Dumbo on the other hand is not so much weird as it is sad. That’s not saying none of Burton’s films haven’t had the emotional element to them but does the overall story of Dumbo justify using the dark, gritty, and playful style of Tim Burton, or rather vice versa?

Are we okay with Tim Burton taking on Dumbo? No. Do we hate the idea of him directing it? No. We are quite interested in his version, though to be honest we weren’t expecting Disney to announce Dumbo, and Burton wasn’t our first choice when we think of Dumbo. We want to know what you think, do you think Dumbo will have display the usual Burton style? Do you think Johnny Depp will be cast?

Tim Burton is currently working on Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children shooting in Florida, the UK and in Belgium, it will star Asa Butterfield, Eva Green, and Samuel Jackson among other stars. It’s release date is scheduled for March 4, 2016. That means we might expect Burton to start on Dumbo shortly after, unless a Beetlejuice sequel happens first. We shall see.