Draft:Pinocchio: Carved From Darkness

Pinocchio: Carved From Darkness is an upcoming Emirati independent horror film directed by Joona Tena, written by Paulie Siegel and produced by Danny Sawaf. It serves as a horror retelling of Carlo Collodi's The Adventures of Pinocchio.

Premise
"This dark turn on Carlo Collodi’s classic 1883 tale sees woodcarver Geppetto carve a puppet resembling his recently deceased son from a of block of wood discarded at a crime scene and cursed by Agatha, the priestess of a dark cult. As Pinocchio turns into a vengeful killer, a teen named Charlie and his mother Nancy arrive in the town looking for a fresh start. Meanwhile, a detective named Georgina starts investigating Agatha’s crimes. The characters intertwine with some tragic consequences."

Cast

 * Peter Stormare as Geppetto, the wood carver who creates Pinocchio with love before his corruption at Agatha's hands
 * Vicki Berlin as Nancy, the semi-alcoholic mother of high schooler Charlie who moves with her son to a new town for a fresh start
 * Danny Nuta as Ronnie, a local gangster involved in Charlie's high school circle

Development
In May 2024, Pinocchio: Carved From Darkness was announced by Variety to be in development for Oceana Studios, with Danny Sawaf producing and plans to launch sales of the film at the Cannes Film Market. The film will be directed Joona Tena and written by Paulie Siegel. Sawaf has stated that the film will combine CGI with live-action in a way that will be surreal and make audiences riveted, while planning the film's plot to be set in the modern world while subverting the audience's expectations due to how the title character has personified good since its inception in Carlo Collodi's The Adventures of Pinocchio.

Principal photography will start in early 2025, with the film expected to be completed by summer.