Everyone knows the story of "Peter Pan," whether they've read J.M. Barrie's original play and/or novel, seen the animated Disney movie, watched a different film adaptation (P.J. Hogan's 2003 version is worth seeking out), absorbed its plot though cultural osmosis, or some combo of all those things. It's a weird, whimsical, often retold fairy tale about the challenges of growing up and the inevitability of death that has only grown more blatantly problematic with time, all of which begs the question: is there anyone out there who might have a fresh take that would justify revisiting this well again?
Well, how about the guy who only just adapted a weird, whimsical, often retold fairy tale into a mesmerizing fantasy epic about the challenges of growing up and the inevitability of death? Yes, "The Green Knight" filmmaker David Lowery is following up his eerie, dreamy, Arthurian myth re-telling with Disney's "Peter Pan and Wendy," a live-action take on the studio's 1953 animated "Peter Pan" film and Barrie's source material. Here's everything we know about the movie so far.
When And Where To Watch Peter Pan & Wendy
Unlike most of the House of Mouse's live-action remakes of its animated movies so far, "Peter Pan and Wendy" will debut as a streaming exclusive on Disney+. It's not the first re-telling of its kind to go that route, either; that honor belongs to the live-action "Lady and the Tramp," which premiered on Disney's streaming service upon its stateside launch in 2019. By comparison, this year's "Cruella" split the difference by opening in theaters the same day it became available to stream on Disney+ for an added surcharge.
"Peter Pan and Wendy" is one of two re-imaginings Disney plans to send directly to streaming in 2022, along with Robert Zemeckis' live-action "Pinocchio." It's speculated this decision was partly based on the box office performance of the studio's live-action "Dumbo," a remake that didn't, per se, flop (heck, it made a little over double its $170 million budget) but showed that audiences aren't equally invested in seeing every Disney animated film redone with real people and photorealistic CGI. That and Lowery's terrific "Pete's Dragon" re-telling didn't get the attention it deserved upon its theatrical release in 2016.
What We Think Peter Pan & Wendy Will Be About
It seems that Lowery's making a pretty clear-cut "Peter Pan" re-telling, based on the movie's official plot summary:
[Peter Pan and Wendy] is the timeless tale of a young girl who, defying her parents' wishes to attend boarding school, travels with her two younger brothers to the magical Neverland. There, she meets a boy who refuses to grow up, a tiny fairy and an evil pirate captain, and they soon find themselves on a thrilling and dangerous adventure far, far away from their family and the comforts of home.
If the story's mostly the same, then what sets this iteration of "Peter Pan" apart from earlier ones? According to Lowery, he pitched the film to Disney as "'The Revenant' with flying kids," in the sense that it's grounded and visceral like that movie, yet "still full of exuberance and magic." That isn't the only recent R-rated period piece that supposedly shaped Lowery's vision; the filmmaker has also claimed that "Peter Pan and Wendy" was "very influenced" by "The Lighthouse." I'm going to go out on a limb and say that what Lowery means is the movie embraces magical realism the same way those films and "The Green Knight" did (lest anyone think we're getting a bizarre, edgelord take on the residents of Neverland).
What We Know About The Peter Pan & Wendy Cast And Crew
Lowery is directing "Peter Pan and Wendy" from a script he co-penned with his "Pete's Dragon" writer and frequent producer Toby Halbrooks. Joining him behind the camera is cinematographer Bojan Bazelli, who also shot Gore Verbinski's "The Ring" and "The Lone Ranger" remakes, as well as his box office bomb turned cult horror thriller, "A Cure for Wellness." That only reinforces the idea that Lowery's retelling will have a darker yet stylized aesthetic, similar to those of "The Revenant" and "The Lighthouse."
Cast-wise, "Peter Pan and Wendy" stars Alexander Molony ("The Reluctant Landlord") as Peter Pan and Ever Anderson (as in, Milla Jovovich and Paul W. S. Anderson's daughter) as Wendy Darling, as well as newcomers Joshua Pickering and Jacobi Jupe as Wendy's brothers John and Michael Darling, Yara Shahidi ("Black-ish") as Tinker Bell, Jude Law ("Captain Marvel") as Captain Hook, and Jim Gaffigan ("The Jim Gaffigan Show") as Hook's first mate Mr. Smee. Rounding out the ensemble are Alan Tudyk ("Doom Patrol") as Mr. Darling, Molly Parker ("Lost in Space") as Mrs. Darling, and relative newcomer Alyssa Wapanatâhk as Tiger Lily.
Speaking of Tiger Lily: Lowery has assured that "Peter Pan and Wendy" removes "the problematic elements of both the novel and the animated film," including the latter's racist depiction of Neverland's Native American tribe (which landed it a content warning on Disney+). By casting Wapanatâhk, it's already one-upped Joe Wright's "Pan" in that regard, too.
Read this next: The 25 Best Kids' Movies Of All Time
The post Everything We Know About the Live-Action Peter Pan & Wendy Movie So Far appeared first on /Film.
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