With Peter Pan and his associated characters in the public domain, Hollywood is likely going to be pumping out different versions of the tale over and over again. Which just saw one earlier this year with the release of Benh Zeitlin's Wendy, but now Disney is taking another dive down the well – and the project looks to have found its Captain Hook in Captain Marvel star Jude Law.
This big screen version of Peter Pan, titled Peter Pan & Wendy, has been slowly cooking for years now, with writer/director David Lowery at the helm, and now Variety is reporting that Jude Law is now in talks to be the movie's famous antagonist. He is the first actor to come aboard the project, which is still looking to cast its new Peter and Wendy.
Being the most significant adult character, the role of Captain Hook is often used by adaptations as an opportunity for flashy casting, and it would appear that this version of Peter Pan is no exception. Arguably the most famous big screen interpretation was performed by Dustin Hoffman in Steven Spielberg's Hook, but the list of actors to play the part includes Hugh Jackman and Jason Isaacs.
It's not clear at this point in time how Peter Pan & Wendy is going to prove to be a different version of J.M. Barrie's novel and play than previous cracks taken by directors. Obviously the Walt Disney Animation Studios version of the film exists from 1953, and given the production strategy at the studio in recent years it would shock nobody if that turned out to be a major influence on the project, even while other things may be changed. That being said, writer/director David Lowery previously made Pete's Dragon for Disney, another remake of a classic property, and the new movie was surprisingly very different – with the majority of elements beyond the central premise being changed.
As for Jude Law, he's been quite active since appearing last year in both Captain Marvel and Woody Allen's A Rainy Day In New York. Earlier this year he was back on the big screen training Blake Lively as an assassin in the thriller The Rhythm Section, and on the small screen he starred opposite John Malkovich in The New Pope – a sequel series to 2016's The Young Pope. In addition to possibly playing Captain Hook in Peter Pan & Wendy, his upcoming slate includes another turn as young Albus Dumbledore in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them 3 and a reprise as Dr. John Watson in Sherlock Holmes 3.
The new trade report about Peter Pan & Wendy doesn't include any details regarding a production start date, though there is clearly plenty of casting work that still needs to be done, and casting young actors is never an easy task. We'll continue to follow this project as it moves through development, and will continue to post updates for you here on CinemaBlend as they pop up.
