The New York Post’s Michael Riedel reported on Dec. 24 that The Lion King director Julie Taymor is in talks with Disney Theatricals to direct a stage version of the animated movie classic, "Pinocchio," for the mega-company.

Last September, there was word that director-playwright Tina Landau (Space, recently at the Public Theatre) was meeting with Disney about fashioning a musical out of the 1940 film, “Pinocchio.” But according to the Post, Laudau was approached only after Taymor passed on the project, and the latter, Tony-winning director has since had second thoughts about taking on the project.

The 1940 film, about the adventures of a wooden puppet who longs to be a real boy, featured such songs as "Hi-Diddle-Dee-Dee (An Actor's Life for Me)," "No Strings on Me" and "When You Wish Upon a Star," sung by Pinocchio's sidekick Jiminy Cricket.

Disney found success when it called on another multi-talented female stage director, Julie Taymor. The resulting project, The Lion King, became the most successful Broadway show in recent years. Taymor’s The Green Bird is expected to reach Broadway this spring.

Landau is best known for having directed and co-wrote the book for Floyd Collins. She had less success with Dream True, a collaboration with Ricky Ian Gordon which debuted at the Vineyand Theatre last spring.