Will Smith and Tom Hanks in talks to join Tim Burton's Dumbo remake

With The Lion King, The Jungle Book 2, Aladdin and Mulan currently in the works, Disney live-action remakes are hot property when it comes to Hollywood at the moment. With that in mind, it's no surprise that director Tim Burton is keen to move his developing Dumbo remake along and is eyeing up serious A-Listers, Tom Hanks and Will Smith, to star in it.

While the negotiations are far from closed, if the actors were to come aboard the project, Smith will reportedly play the father of a family who befriends the titular elephant, while Hanks would star as the film's villain. But while the prospect of appearing in a Disney movie might seem appealing, the pair each have their own respective schedules to work out before they could even consider signing on.

According to Variety, Smith is currently linked to two long-awaited sequels in the Bad Boys franchise and filming Dumbo would likely clash with production on the third instalment. Similarly, as of September 2016, Hanks is said to have been in talks about appearing in Second World War drama Greyhound. So basically, it's all a case of which pictures the stars choose to move forward with.

Of course, Dumbo wouldn't be the first Disney film Hanks has been involved in having lent his voice to animated character Woody in Pixar's Toy Story trilogy. He also played Walt Disney himself in the 2013 film Saving Mr Banks opposite Emma Thompson.

The beloved animated original Dumbo, which was made way back in 1941, centred on a lovable young circus elephant who gets ridiculed for his enormous ears. Dumbo's life changes dramatically when he realises that his ears actually give him the ability to fly.

For more entertainment news follow A-List on Twitter @Alistinsider