Colin Farrell cast in Tim Burton's 'Dumbo'

Image from Variety

By Darian Scalamoni

            Colin Farrell has recently been one of the busiest actors in all of Hollywood and is adding yet another project to his expanding plate. According to The Playlist, Farrell has been cast in Tim Burton’s (Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands) live-action reimagining of Dumbo.

            Farrell is joining the film that recently cast former Burton collaborators Eva Green and Danny DeVito. This marks the first-time Farrell will work with Burton who has adapted Disney classics in a live-action format before, after directing 2010’s Alice in Wonderland. The film originally had Tom Hanks and Will Smith on board to star but both were peculiar choices; the more recent castings fill the roles more swimmingly. Details have also come out on who the actors will portray in the movie as Farrell will play a widowed father, Green will portray a French trapeze artist working for the villainous circus owner and DeVito will play a smaller circus owner whose tent gets acquired by the villain.

            Dumbo is set to begin production soon but the movie probably won’t be released until 2018 due to the visual effects work. As for Farrell, he’ll be seen in The Beguiled and The Killing of a Sacred Deer later this year and if it’s done filming in time, could be in line for awards season with Dan Gilroy’s follow-up to Nightcrawler titled Inner City that stars Farrell, Denzel Washington and Moonlight’s Ashton Sanders.