Michael Keaton eyed to play villain in Tim Burton's "Dumbo"

PanARMENIAN.Net - Michael Keaton is in negotiations to join Tim Burton's "Dumbo". "The Founder" actor is eyed to play villain in Disney's live-action movie, AceShowbiz said.

Currently, Colin Farrell, Eva Green and Danny DeVito are also in talks to join the film centering on the titular elephant. Should the deal be closed, "Keaton would play the man who acquirers the circus from DeVito's character in order to exploit the lovable elephant and his mother," Variety reports.

Keaton teamed up with Burton several times in the past. Back in 1988, Keaton starred in Burton's "Beetlejuice", which marked his first rise to stardom. Shortly after, Keaton and Burton teamed up for 1989's "Batman". Both reportedly may work together again for possible "Beetlejuice 2" in the future.

Keaton was nominated for Best Actor for his role in Academy Award-winning "Birdman" in 2014. The year after, he starred in "Spotlight", which also earned an Oscar for Best Picture. Keaton recently starred in "The Founder" as McDonald's mogul Ray Kroc. The actor will next be seen as villain Vulture in "Spider-Man: Homecoming".

"Dumbo" is one of many live-action adaptations which Disney is currently working on. The original version of "Dumbo" centers on a big-eared circus elephant who is mocked for his large ears, but he finally uses them as wings to fly. The live-action version is currently in the stage of development with "The Brothers Grimm" and "Transformers: Age of Extinction" writer Ehren Kruger writing the script.

Disney's other upcoming projects include "The Lion King", "Peter Pan", "Maleficent 2", "The Little Mermaid (2019)", "Mulan", "Snow White" and "Cruella", a pic centering on Cruella de Vil from "101 Dalmatians".