Dakota Goyo Cast in Real Steel

Move over Fanning, there’s a new Dakota in town and it’s 11 year old Dakota Goyo. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the young actor has been signed to play Hugh Jackman’s son in Shawn Levy’s new film, Real Steel. Every child actor in town was trying to get their hands on this part, and little Goyo scooped it up!

DreamWorks was looking for a “street-smart, tough, charming kid with a hard, untrusting outer shell which hides a warm enthusiastic spirit beneath.” Funny, Goyo doesn’t look tough or street smart. He must be a great actor.

Real Steel is set in a future world where robot-boxing has replaced human interaction. It follows a former boxer (Jackman) who gets a shot at redemption when he teams up with his long lost son to train an unusual robot for a shot at the championships.

Some of Goyo’s previous co-stars include Samuel L. Jackson and Josh Hartnett from Rod Lurie’s 2007 drama Resurrecting the Champ. Hopefully he’s able to prove himself and stay relevant even after the childish good looks fade away, just like that other Dakota we’ve come to know and love.

Real Steel is currently in pre-production and Disney has set the theatrical release date for November 18, 2011.

Do you think Goyo is a good addition to Real Steel? Do you think think he’s a good match for Jackman?