The original "Pinocchio" from 1940 was one of Disney's darker films and that may be true of the upcoming live-action remake as well. (Which might star Tom Hanks as Geppetto).

Not surprisingly, Guillero del Toro's upcoming stop-motion version of the puppet who comes to life won't be family-friendly. Instead, the Oscar-winning director says it will be a political allegory.

At the Marrakech Film Festival, del Toro said, "It’s not a 'Pinocchio' for all the family." He explained it will be set during the rise of Italian dictator Mussolini. "Do the math... A puppet during the rise of fascism, yes, it is [political]."

He compared Gepetto's creation to Frankenstein's monster: "[Pinocchio’s] a creature that is created through unnatural means from a father that he then distances [himself] from, and has to learn about failure and pain and loneliness," he said.

He also explained why he chose to go with Netflix:  "I went to every studio in Hollywood and they all said no, so whoever says yes, I will make it with that person." And Netflix was the first studio to say yes.

Del Toro's "Pinocchio" will be on Netflix in 2021. No release date has been announced yet for the new Disney version.

[Via The Playlist]