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- Disney’s classic ‘Peter Pan’ will be made into a live-action film with ‘Peter Pan & Wendy.’
- ‘Peter Pan & Wendy’ is expected to be released on Disney+ in 2023.
- Disney gave the first look in a Diseny+ trailer on Monday, December 19.
One of Disney’s most beloved classic movies is the 1953 animated feature Peter Pan. A whole new generation of Disney fans will be introduced to the fantasy favorite in 2022 with the live-action adaptation Peter Pan & Wendy. Disney has had tons of success by turning their animated movies into live-action with the help of CGI technology. Tons of movies that fans have adored for decades like Beauty And The Beast and The Lion King have been introduced to a younger audience with new live-action adaptations. Disney gave their first glimpse at the movie in a teaser for their streaming service on Monday, December 19.
Take it from the God of Mischief himself: 2023 on @DisneyPlus will be well worth the wait. ? #DisneyPlusFeelsLikeHome pic.twitter.com/zO6z9mFshz
— Disney (@Disney) December 19, 2022
The latest iteration of J.M. Barrie’s beloved 1911 children’s book will feature a veteran cast of actors, as well as a few new faces playing the Darling children, the Lost Boys, and of course, Peter himself. Long before the movie gets released, Disney dropped a teaser trailer for the upcoming film on December 10, 2020. It features some of the classic imagery from the original, including the Big Ben clocktower, London Bridge, a pirate ship-shaped cloud, and of course the star! Disney released the official poster and the first look footage of the film at the D23 Expo in September 2022. HollywoodLife has gathered all the details about Peter Pan & Wendy below!
‘Peter Pan & Wendy’ Release Date & Where To Watch
The new take on the movie will be released on DisneyPlus, along with other movies going straight to the streaming service like the upcoming live-action Pinocchio. While an official release date hasn’t been set yet, the live-action adaptation is expected to be available to DisneyPlus subscribers exclusively on the streaming service in 2023.
‘Peter Pan & Wendy’ Cast & Crew
Peter Pan is one of the most iconic characters of the 20th Century, and there will be plenty of fresh faces playing both “The Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up” and the Darling children. The Reluctant Landlord star Alexander Molony, 16, will take on the title role as Peter Pan. Ever Anderson, 15, who played a young Natasha Romanoff in Black Widow, will play Wendy. While Ever may be a relative newcomer, she does have strong connections to the entertainment business. Her dad is director Paul W.S. Anderson, who has made tons of action hits like Mortal Combat, Resident Evil, and many more. Her mom is actress Milla Jovovich, who has starred in tons of classics like Dazed and Confused, Zoolander, and The Fourth Kind. They’ll be joined by Joshua Pickering and Jacobi Jupe as John Darling and Michael Darling, respectively.
Ever Anderson will play Wendy, while Yara Shahidi will perform as Tinker Bell. (Image Press Agency/NurPhoto/Danny Moloshok/Invision/AP/Shutterstock)
Of course, Peter Pan is jam-packed with memorable characters besides just the Darlings and Peter, like the Lost Boys and Tinker Bell. Yara Shahidi,22, who starred in Black-ish and Grown-ish, will play everyone’s favorite five-inches tall fairy, Tinker Bell! Another fresh face making her feature-length debut will Alyssa Wapanatâhk, who will play the Native American Princess Tiger Lily. The Darling parents will be played by Rogue One: A Star Wars Story star Alan Tudyk, 51, and Deadwood actress Molly Parker, 50.
Other than the beloved characters, who could forget the villainous pirates in the movie, like Captain Hook and the comical Mr. Smee! Two-time Academy Award nominee Jude Law, 49, will be the latest actor to take up the Captain Hook moniker, while comedy veteran Jim Gaffigan, 56, will portray his klutzy sidekick Smee. Captain Hook was one of the most discussed roles in Hollywood, and it had reportedly been offered to plenty of other seasoned actors during development. There were reports that the part had been offered to stars like Joaquin Phoenix (per DisInsider) and Will Smith (via ScreenRant), before it ultimately went to Jude.
Jim Gaffigan will provide comedic relief as Smee. ( Taylor Jewell/Invision/AP/Shutterstock)
Peter Pand & Wendy will also mark director David Lowery’s second live-action adaptation for Disney. He’d previously directed 2016’s Pete’s Dragon. David also worked on the screenplay with his Pete’s Dragon co-writer Toby Halbrooks.
Production Timeline & Trivia
A live action adaptation of Peter Pan was first announced in April 2016, via Deadline. It was announced that David would be the director as soon as it was announced. The film was given it’s full title in January 2020, via DisInsider, and filming was scheduled to begin in April 2020, but was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. After a nearly a year of delays, filming began on March 16, 2021, according to Comic Book Resource. Alyssa Wapanatâhk announced that filming had wrapped with an Instagram Story on August 14, 2021.
After the delay, Disney did share the teaser trailer for the movie in December 2020, which also told fans that the new movie will be available on DisneyPlus. “Peter Pan & Wendy will be flying to . David Lowery directs an amazing cast including @YaraShahidi in the role of Tinker Bell and Jude Law as Captain Hook,” the company tweeted along with the teaser.
Jude Law will play the beloved villain Captain Hook. (Masatoshi Okauchi/Shutterstock)
What We Know About The ‘Peter Pan & Wendy’ Plot
While it’s obvious that Peter Pan & Wendy will bring the 1953 movie and J. M. Barrie’s story to life, not many details are known about the plot of the upcoming film. The original story followed Wendy and her brothers John and Michael, as they met Peter Pan, on a night where their parents had announced that it would be Wendy’s last night in the nursery, and that she’d needed to grow up. Peter arrived in the middle of the night and helped the children fly away to Neverland, where they meet the Lost Boys, and a wide cast of other characters, including some (now well-known to be problematic) Native Americans, mermaids, and of course, pirates. The pirates eventually capture the Darlings and the Lost Boys, after trying to kill Peter. Peter flies in to save the day, and the kids face off with the pirates, eventually taking over the ship and flying back to London, where Mr. Darling has decided that Wendy can stay in the nursery for some time longer.
While a full-length trailer hasn’t dropped yet, a Disney did give a glimpse of the new movie when showing their 2023 Disney+ roster in a teaser for the streaming service. A quick shot of Wendy seemingly on a boat was shown, as well as a clip of the Darling brothers first meeting Peter in shock. Peter says, “Were you expecting someone else?” as Tinkerbell flies beside him.
While the original movie is still regarded as a classic for Disney Animation, hindsight has shown that the portrayal of Native Americans was incredibly problematic. Disney seems to have taken the past portrayal into account with the new movie. Alyssa Wapanatâhk is an indigenous actress playing the part, and a report showed that Disney was seemingly giving Tiger Lily a bigger role in the movie, more so than the “damsel in distress” that she was in the original, via DisInsider. “Tiger Lily is indigenous to Neverland with a bow at her back, she is both a fierce warrior and a serene and benevolent leader who protects Neverland and the lost boys and girls from the dastardly Captain Hook. This character will speak in both English and a native language,” a character breakdown said.
In September 2022, the Peter Pan & Wendy cast took the stage at the D23 Expo to reveal the first footage from the film. The trailer shows Wendy and the Lost Boys arriving at Neverland, as well as glimpses of Peter and Captain Hook, according to IGN. The trailer has not been released online yet.
The Peter Pan & Wendy star also discussed their experience starring in the upcoming film at D23, according to Variety. “It’s been really amazing to be able to play Wendy,” said Ever Anderson. “Wendy and Peter are equals in this film,” she added. Jude Law, who plays Captain Hook, said, “We got to mine their backstory a little more and try to know their past, when they were friends. It was nice to layer in that understanding of why Hook is so iconic.”
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