Pete's Dragon (2016 film)

Pete's Dragon is an upcoming American live-action film distributed by Walt Disney Pictures. It will be directed by David Lowery, and produced by Jim Whitaker. It will be a remake of the 1977 film, first released on November 3, 1977. In March 2013, Disney announced a remake of the film to be written by David Lowery and Toby Halbrooks from the Sundance hit Ain’t Them Bodies Saints. It will reinvent the core story of a venerable Disney family film and will not be a musical. Principal photography will commence in January 2015 in New Zealand, with Lowery slated to direct for a August 12, 2016 released date.

Synopsis
For years, old wood carver Mr. Meacham (Robert Redford) has delighted local children with his tales of the fierce dragon that resides deep in the woods of the Pacific Northwest. To his daughter, Grace (Bryce Dallas Howard), who works as a forest ranger, these stories are little more than tall tales…until she meets Pete (Oakes Fegley).

Pete is a mysterious 10-year-old with no family and no home who claims to live in the woods with a giant, green dragon named Elliott. And from Pete’s descriptions, Elliott seems remarkably similar to the dragon from Mr. Meacham’s stories. With the help of Natalie (Oona Laurence), an 11-year-old girl whose father, Jack (Wes Bentley), owns the local lumber mill, Grace sets out to determine where Pete came from, where he belongs, and the truth about Elliott. It opens in U.S. theaters on August 12, 2016.

Cast

 * Oakes Fegley as Pete
 * Craig Hall as Pete (age 41)
 * Bryce Dallas Howard as Grace Meacham, a park ranger who finds Pete in the forest and comes to believe in magic as a result
 * Oona Laurence as Natalie, the mill owner's daughter who befriends Pete
 * Wes Bentley as Jack, a lumber mill owner and Natalie's father
 * Karl Urban as Gavin
 * Robert Redford as Mr. Meacham, a wood carver and Grace's father

Production
In March 2013, Disney announced a remake of the film to be written by David Lowery and Toby Halbrooks from the Sundance hit Ain’t Them Bodies Saints. It will reinvent the core story of a venerable Disney family film and will not be a musical. Principal photography will commence in January 2015 in New Zealand, with Lowery slated to direct. On October 2, Barrie M. Osborne was set to produce it. It would be live-action with CGI used for the dragon.

Casting
On September 19, 2014, Disney set Oakes Fegley and Oona Laurence to star as Pete and Natalie. On October 16, Robert Redford was in early talks to play a local storyteller, involving dragons that no one believes. On November 20, Bryce Dallas Howard was in talks for the female lead role to play a forest ranger who finds the boy and doesn't believe his stories about a dragon. On January 7, 2015, Wes Bentley joined the cast of the film. On January 9, Michael C. Hall was also added to the cast. On January 29, Karl Urban replaced C. Hall to join the cast for his role.

Filming
Rehearsals began early January 2015 and the filming is also scheduled to begin in January in New Zealand.