Back last September, Warner Bros. announced that it would be looking to jump on the fairytale reboot bandwagon with both feet, conjuring up a new take on Pinocchio with Bryan Fuller writing the script. We figured that the success of Tim Burton’s Alice In Wonderland was a driving factor and now Burton himself is showing real interest in directing it. So who does he want to play woodcarver Geppetto? Robert Downey Jr.

While Carlo Collodi’s tale of a lonely man who creates a puppet child that ends up coming alive has been adapted numerous times, Fuller’s version would see Geppetto front and centre, looking to reunite with the wayward wooden lad after the marionette’s meanderings. It’s not the only stab at the puppet and his pop in development: Guillermo del Toro is producing an animated version and Shawn Levy is attached to a Geppetto-heavy prequel.

Of course, the various disparate elements could still fall apart – while Burton is busy finishing Dark Shadows for Warners, he doesn’t have a deal with the company. And he’s already considering other projects, such as Miss Peregrine's For Peculiar Children at Fox. Plus, though Downey is a Warners favourite thanks to the Sherlock Holmes films, he’s also a man ever in demand, so if the studio hopes to get the thing moving as soon as possible, there’s a chance it could move on to other directing/starring combinations. But if Burton does sign and Downey Jr doesn't lock in  deal, start the countdown clock to everyone involved ringing Johnny Depp at once.