It’s been confirmed that the upcoming dark fantasy horror film Pinocchio: Unstrung is set for a summer release. The film is written and directed by Rhys Frake-Waterfield, who also shared production credits with Scott Jeffrey, and features the voice-work of Jude Evan Lloyd as the titular character, while Barbarian actor Richard Brake appears as the puppet master Geppetto and horror legend Robert Englund voices an evil interpretation of Jiminy Cricket.
Pinocchio: Unstrung tells a dark, grisly version of Carlo Collodi’s 1883 novel, The Adventures of Pinocchio, with the most famous and memorable film adaptation being Disney’s 1940 version. The film centres on Geppetto gifting his grandson James, played by Cameron Bell, a talking puppet in hopes that the two will become best friends. However, things take a terrifying turn when James accidentally plants a seed of obsession in his new wooden pal with becoming a ‘real boy’, prompting Pinocchio to hunt down parts to turn himself human.
Additional cast members include Jessica Balmer, Jack Art Grey, and Peter DeSouza-Feighoney.
The theatrical release follows a Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival premiere, which reportedly saw audience members fainting from the gore.
Pinocchio: Unstrung stands as the fifth contribution to The Twisted Childhood Universe, created by Frake-Waterfield, which takes classic, wholesome children’s literature characters and reinterprets them as bloodthirsty killers in darker stories. The franchise consists of Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey, Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey 2, Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare, and Bambi: The Reckoning.
The universe is set to expand with a third Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey film as well as a crossover feature titled Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble.
Pinocchio: Unstrung hits cinemas on 24th July.
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