The fantasy bug that bit Hollywood after Alice In Wonderland continues to ravage the industry unabated. Last year, Oz: The Great And Powerful made almost half-a-billion worldwide, while this summer fans are preparing for Maleficent. And in 2015 comes another one, the dramatic re-imagining titled Pan. In this fantasy film, from director Joe Wright, Peter Pan and Hook are good friends who team up to lead a pirate revolt, and with casting starting, they’re about to beef up the names in consideration for what they see as a potential franchise.
According to THR, an offer is out to Garrett Hedlund to star as the young Hook. Hedlund is clearly someone Hollywood likes a lot, as he was attached to the failed Akira remake for quite awhile, before everyone involved realized what they were doing was insane. Since then, he’s rejected roles in both the new Terminator film and 50 Shades of Gray, while he stole small moments in Inside Llewyn Davis as a mumbly, sensual nomad that brought back memories of Heath Ledger. Hedlund is also in this year’s Unbroken from director Angelina Jolie, and he’s still contractually obligated to return, should Disney get started on a follow-up to Tron: Legacy, though don’t hold your breath.
The role of Pan remains uncast, though an offer has gone out to Hugh Jackman to play the villain Blackbeard, which THR reports as "unconfirmed." Wright in the director’s seat seems like the most exciting part of this project, given that his style, half-fantastical and half-Earthbound, seems perfect for a more realistic take on a fairy tale. It’s pretty much exactly what he did with Hanna, the action film with fairy tale undertones that definitely isn’t made for the younger set.
Peter Pan remains one of the more indelible fictional characters in film and television. NBC is planning a live-version of Peter Pan for the holiday season. There remains a shortage of news regarding the planned 2011 version of Pan, which had Aaron Eckhart as a cop named Hook pursuing a childlike killer named Pan through the streets of England with his partner Smee. Which is a pity, because that sounded hilarious. Hopefully, though, there’s a rediscovery of the lovely 2003 live-action version of the film that featured an amazing performance by Jason Isaacs as Captain Hook. He also plays Wendy’s father: chew on that, Freud.
