There's no stopping the juggernaut that is Disney's live-action remakes and Tim Burton is in the driving seat for one of them, having been confirmed as the director of Dumbo, which will be released in the US on 29 March 2019. Appearing in a short video at D23 to announce the production's start, Burton confirmed the film's cast, which includes Colin Farrell, Danny DeVito, Eva Green, Michael Keaton, Nico Parker and Finley Hobbins.
The news was swiftly followed by an official press release from Disney, which included the following plot synopsis: Dumbo introduces Holt Farrier (Farrell), a former circus star who finds his life turned upside down when he returns from the war. Circus owner Max Medici (DeVito) enlists Holt to care for a newborn elephant whose oversized ears make him a laughingstock in an already struggling circus. But when Holt’s children (Parker and Hobbins) discover that Dumbo can fly, persuasive entrepreneur V.A. Vandevere (Keaton) and an aerial artist named Colette Marchant (Green) swoop in to make the peculiar pachyderm a star.
This Dumbo news joined a a swathe of live-action animation remake announcements that included confirmation of the upcoming Mulan and a sneak first-look at the stunning Circle Of Life sequence from Jon Favreau's version of The Lion King. All together now: "Naaaaaaaaants ingonyama bagithi Baba..."