‘The Good Dinosaur’ Director Bob Peterson Replaced By Pixar

The Good Dinosaur director Bob Peterson was officially booted from the project by the folks at Pixar. However, the family flick is still on-track to meet its 2014 release date.

Rumors started swirling earlier this week that Peterson had been removed from the flick by his employers. Since Hollywood reports are a dime a dozen these days, many people believed it was nothing more than baseless internet speculation. It’s definitely happened before.

However, Pixar recently confirmed rumors that Bob Peterson was removed from the animated comedy with the Los Angeles Times. Although the filmmaker is no longer working on the production, he hasn’t been let go from the company. In fact, he’s already on to his next big thing.

Pixar Animation Studios president Ed Catmull told the publication:

All directors get really deep in their films Sometimes you just need a different perspective to get the idea out. Sometimes directors are so deeply embedded in their ideas it actually takes someone else to finish it up. I would go so far as to argue that a lot of live-action films would be better off with that same process.

Instead of hiring another director to complete the film, Pixar is relying on some in-house talent to get the job done. According to First Showing, John Lasseter, Lee Unkrich, Mark Andrews, and Peter Sohn have been tapped to complete work on the project.

This isn’t the first time Pixar has replaced one of its directors. Brad Bird took over Ratatouille from Jan Pinkava and Mark Andrews helped the company complete Brave after Brenda Chapman stepped down. Since these films are quite good, there’s probably no need to worry about The Good Dinosaur.

When the flick finally hits theaters next year, it will sport an impressive cast. Lucas Neff, John Lithgow, Frances McDormand, Bill Hader, and Neil Patrick Harris will help bring these characters to life.

The Good Dinosaur is still expected to hit theaters on May 30, 2014. What do you think about director Bob Peterson being replacement on the project?

[Image via Walt Disney Pictures / Pixar]