Director David Lowery’s live-action Peter Pan remake is now a Disney+ exclusive and has received a new title, along with some character breakdowns. The Mouse House has typically earned big box office returns on the live-action remakes of its animated films for the last decade, and has plans to release even more in the years ahead. However, some of them will be forgoing a theatrical release and debuting as exclusives on the Disney+ streaming service. The studio has already unveiled one such re-imagining in the form of Lady and the Tramp, which launched when the streamer went live last November.
Among the live-action remakes slated to premiere as Disney+ Originals are The Sword in the Stone and Lowery’s Peter Pan, a fresh take on the J.M. Barrie classic that Disney famously adapted as a animated film in 1953. Lowery’s been attached to direct the movie since 2016, but there haven’t been too many updates to report since then. Now, it appears the project is being developed as a Disney+ exclusive, with a shiny new title to boot.
The Illuminerdi reports Lowery’s Peter Pan is now titled Peter Pan and Wendy and will shoot in Vancouver from April to August later this year, before heading straight to Disney+. Casting is currently underway for the film, with the lead roles described as follows.
These breakdowns are more or less in line with the depictions of Peter, Wendy, John, and Michael featured in most versions of Peter Pan, Disney’s animated film included. At the same time, its title change suggests Peter Pan and Wendy might be less of a paint by numbers reboot and more of a proper re-imagining than Disney live-action remakes past. That’s not surprising, considering Lowery’s 2016 Pete’s Dragon remake was a far cry from the studio’s original 1977 live-action/animated musical in pretty much every aspect. Pete’s Dragon is also considered by many to be (far and away) the best Disney remake from the previous decade, which bodes well for Peter Pan and Wendy.
Peter Pan - 10 to 14 years - The boy who will never grow up. An enchanted child that’s a confident and courageous warrior, with and without a sword. Lead Role.
Wendy - 12 to 14 years - A sly girl, full of good-natured energy, who is conflicted by her pending departure to boarding school. She is not quite ready to step into the adult world. Lead Role.
John Darling - 9 to 11 years - A budding child with an old soul. However, the mature youth is not above playfully fencing and rough-housing with his brother and sister. Lead Role.
Michael Darling - 6 to 9 years - A delightful child rarely seen without his closest friend, his teddy bear. Lead Role.
More than anything, the biggest obstacle for Lowery will be getting people excited to see yet another retelling of Peter Pan. Barrie’s fairy tale has inspired everything from prequels (Joe Wright’s Pan) to sequels (Steven Spielberg’s Hook) over the decades, but the results have been decidedly mixed. It doesn’t help the original story is full of elements (like its racist depiction of Neverland’s Native Americans) that are hard to make palatable without just leaving them out. Lowery’s Peter Pan and Wendy isn’t the only upcoming re-imagining either, with Beasts of the Southern Wild director Behn Zeitlin’s Peter Pan-inspired Wendy premiering at Sundance this month (before it hits theaters in February). Still, after his great work on Pete’s Dragon, there’s reason to think Lowery will find a clever angle to tackle the story from.
Peter Pan and Wendy does not have a release date at the moment.
Source: The Illuminerdi
