Disney’s train of live-action remakes of their classic tales is never coming off the tracks, and for further proof, the company has just cast the two leads in its upcoming Peter Pan & Wendy film. Ever Anderson, the daughter of Milla Jovovich and director Paul W.S. Anderson, will play Wendy, while Alexander Molony (The Reluctant Landlord) will play Peter.
The film is, obviously, a reboot of the 1953 animated film Peter Pan, based on the novel by J.M. Barrie, which revolves around an immortal child who carries the three Darling children away to an adventure on the fantasy island of Neverland.
The 50s version is comfortably the most successful film adaptation of the story, although there have been other attempts, each putting their own spin on the tale. Steven Spielberg‘s Hook was a big one, but it received average reviews and wound up performing below expectations. There were also 2003’s Peter Pan, and 2015’s Pan, which were both big-budget attempts that performed poorly at the box office.
Don’t expect anything but a rousing box office success with this version though, unless audiences have gotten so thoroughly sick of Disney’s live-action remake formula by the time Peter Pan & Wendy hits. Don’t count on it.
David Lowery is directing. He’s somewhat of an odd choice, as his best film is the beguiling, existential A Ghost Story, but he did also direct 2016’s Pete’s Dragon, a similar fantasy adventure to Peter Pan, which probably helped get him the gig.
If you’re not one of those audience members burned out by Disney’s rehashing of their old classics and are looking forward to the next one, you’re in luck, as Mulan will hit cinemas Friday, March 27. By all accounts, this has a chance to be one of the better ones.
#Peace.Love.PeterPan&Wendy
