Dumbo remake: Will Smith and Tom Hanks wanted for Tim Burton's live-action film

The film will be a mixture of CGI and live performance

Disney’s flying baby elephant is set to return in live-action format

Whether or not a live-action adaptation of Disney’s Dumbo directed by Tim Burton is a good idea remains to be seen.

The film’s success likely weighs on the calibre of actor Disney can attract. And, according to recent reports, two heavyweight actors are being sought after for key roles.

First is Will Smith, who is currently negotiating whether to take the role. The third Bad Boys film is expected to film at the same time as Dumbo, meaning Bad Boys for Life could be pushed back if he accepts the job.

The other is Tom Hanks: insiders revealed to Variety the studio wants Hanks to play the film’s villain. Hanks will reportedly choose between Dumbo and World War Two drama The Grey Hound.

Dumbo - the story about a ridiculed baby circus elephant who works with a mouse - will be a mixture of CGI and live performance. Other films to have been transformed into live-action stories by Disney include Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, and The Jungle Book.

Smith’s most recent work includes the critically panned Collateral Beauty and Suicide Squad, while Hanks recently appeared in Sully.

Meanwhile, Disney recently confirmed a live-adaptation of The Lion King is in production, with The Jungle Book’s Jon Favreau attached to direct.