Casting news just hit for the live action film Peter Pan & Wendy! Here’s the scoop from ComingSoon.Net!
After exploring his serious side on the big screen for the past few years, stand-up comic/actor Jim Gaffigan (Tesla, Stargirl) is returning to his humorous roots as he has signed on for Disney’s live-action adaptation of Peter Pan as Captain Hook’s boatswain Mr. Smee, according to The Wrap.
The 54-year-old actor joins a cast that includes two-time Oscar nominee Jude Law (The Third Day) as the notorious Captain Hook, Black-ish and Grown-ish star Yara Shahidi as Tinker Bell and newcomers Alexander Molony and Ever Anderson, the latter of whom is the daughter of action star Milla Jovovich (Resident Evil). Molony’s acting credits include the Disney Junior’s Claude series and Sky One series The Reluctant Landlord. Anderson made her acting debut as a younger version of her mother in 2016’s action-horror film Resident Evil: The Final Chapter. Anderson will next be seen in Marvel Studios’ highly-anticipated Black Widow as the younger version of Scarlett Johansson’s Natasha Romanoff.
First published in 1911, Peter Pan & Wendy tells the story of the boy who never grows up named Peter Pan as he meets Wendy Darling and takes her along with her brothers John and Michael to the magical island of Neverland. There, they get to meet the Lost Boys and Tinkerbell, followed by many dangerous adventures against Peter’s lifelong nemesis Captain Hook.
J.M. Barrie’s iconic tale has been adapted into a live-action film a few times including Steven Spielberg’s 1991 live-action film which starred Robin Williams and Julia Roberts; and 2003’s coming-of-age film starring Jeremy Sumpter and Rachel Hurd-Wood which was probably the most recognized live-action adaptation among many young people; and the most recent one, Joe Wright’s 2016 Pan starring Hugh Jackman. However, Disney’s 1953 animated film Peter Pan has remained the most popular adaptation of the tale.
Peter Pan & Wendy will be directed by David Lowery (Pete’s Dragon, The Green Knight) with Toby Halbrooks having co-written the adaptation with Lowery. The project will be part of Disney’s growing slate of live-action films including The Little Mermaid, Pinocchio, and Niki Caro’s upcoming Mulan which is set to hit theaters on March 27.
Disney proved the success of their efforts of adapting many of their classic animated films into live-action in 2019 with Jon Favreau’s The Lion King and Guy Richie’s Aladdin both earning a gross of over $1 billion.
(Photo Credit: George Pimentel/Getty Images)
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