Karl Urban Up For Pete’s Dragon, Replacing Michael C. Hall

A few weeks ago Michael C. Hall signed up to appear in Disney’s planned remake of Pete’s Dragon, but it seems he’s had to leave for some reason – although it’s not clear why – and has been replaced by Karl Urban, according to TheWrap.

However as when Hall signed up, there’s still no news on what character he’ll be portraying.

The original 1977 movie was a mix of live-action and animation, about a boy who escapes his horrible adoptive parents and befriends a dragon called Elliott. This time around the dragon with be CGI, and the story will also be rather different (it also won’t be a musical). Here Pete was raised in a forest by the dragon after his parents died in a car accident. He has to take on a group of loggers who are cutting down all of the trees.

Robert Redford is set play a local who tells tall tales involving dragons that no one believes, the equivalent of Mickey Rooney’s Lampie from the original. Bryce Dallas Howard, Wes Bentley and Oona Laurence will also star.

David Lowery is directing from a script he co-wrote with Toby Halbrooks. It’s believed the movie will start shooting in the next couple of months.