Variety reports that Jude Law is in talks to play Captain Hook in Disney’s live-action version of ‘Peter Pan’ called ‘Peter Pan & Wendy’. The film will be directed by David Lowery, who is also co-writing the screenplay with his ‘Pete’s Dragon’ collaborator Toby Halbrooks. Jim Whitaker, who also produced ‘Pete’s Dragon’ is attached to produce this picture as well.
‘Peter Pan & Wendy’ is intended to be a theatrical film, not a Disney+ project. Last year, both ‘Aladdin’ and ‘The Lion King’ grossed over a million dollars apiece, so this could potentially be another stellar offering for Disney. However, the newest live-action adaptation of an animated classic, ‘Mulan’, has been plagued by delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has forced movie theaters worldwide to shut down for an undetermined amount of time.
Ever Anderson has been cast as Wendy, while Alexander Molony will play Peter. Anderson will be seen as young Natasha Romanoff in Disney’s ‘Black Widow’ (whenever that finally comes out). She is the daughter of Milla Jovovich and director Paul W.S. Anderson, and appeared in her parents’ last collaboration, ‘Resident Evil: The Final Chapter’ as Young Alicia/The Red Queen.
Molony is already a TV veteran, having co-starred as Charlie on Sky One’s ‘The Reluctant Landlord’ and providing the voice for the title dog on British Disney Jr. cartoon ‘Claude’.
Law recently co-starred in another big-budget live-action Disney film, the Marvel pic ‘Captain Marvel’. He played a villain in that, too– the Kree warrior Yon-Rogg. Aside from that, he is also part of another mega-franchise– Warner Brothers’ ‘Fantastic Beasts’ series. He is also expected to return as Dr. Watson in ‘Sherlock Holmes 3’, also from Warner Brothers. Lately, Law has also been starring on TV, on HBO’s ‘The New Pope’. He will next be seen in the miniseries ‘The Third Day’, which will be presented by HBO in the US and Sky Atlantic in the UK.
J. M. Barrie’s play ‘Peter Pan’ was first performed in 1904. In most performances and adaptations, the same actor portrays Captain Hook and Wendy’s father, Mister Darling. Barrie released a novelized version of the story in 2011, as ‘Peter & Wendy’.
Disney’s animated adaptation was first released in theaters in 1953. It remains a beloved classic, although it does contain the cringe-worthy musical number “What Made the Red Man Red?.”
Most recently, Colin O’Donoghue portrayed Captain Hook on ‘Once Upon a Time’, while the most recent film version was Garrett Hedlund, in the box office flop ‘Pan’.
Are you a ‘Peter Pan’ fan? What do you think of Jude Law as Captain Hook?
