Tim Burton's 'Pinocchio' - Robert Dowey, Jr. to Star

[The Mad Kiwi]

I'll have to see The Secret Life of Walter Mitty to determine how Stiller can juggle humor and drama behind the camera, so until then, I'm not sure what to think about the possibility of him directing this.

I didn't have a problem with Burton being attached. Burton's the type of director that's as good as the script given. Some directors can take a mediocre script and direct every last ounce of it to make it something special. Burton isn't like that; Alice in Wonderland's screenplay really dragged the rest of that film down despite how brilliant the casting and technical qualities were. I still manage to find all of Burton's flicks entertaining to varying degrees, even if he's pretty predictable.

I figured with Bryan Fuller and Jane Goldman penning the screenplay, it'd be a safe bet with Burton since Fuller and Goldman are excellent writers. A part of me's afraid Stiller will try to tone down the whimsy Fuller and Goldman undoubtedly brought to the table and go too broad. I'll be watching this project very intently.