Is Peter Pan The Latest Fairy Tale To Experience A Hollywood High?
Is Peter Pan the latest fairy tale to experience a Hollywood high? The character of Peter Pan has featured in many films before but it seems 3 films based on the character are currently in the works; Warner Bros. are currently in talks with Joe Wright to direct their take on the character, with a script from Jason Fuchs, and Greg Berlanti signed on to produce, Columbia is planning its own ‘Panproject’ staring Channing Tatum and produced by Joe Roth, as well as Disney‘s adaptation based on Peter and the Starcatchers, directed by Gary Ross.
Warner’s project is entitled Pan, and they have offered the role of lead villan, Blackbeared, to Javier Bardem. Also according to Deadline the film is about the orphan Peter, who is taken to Neverland where he saves the natives from the hoard of pirates captained by Blackbeard.
Columbia will be revisiting it’s success from 2003 when it released Peter Pan staring Jason Isaacs and Jeremy Sumpter. The 2003 film followed very traditional routes, featurning the Darling family children as they visit Never Never Land and get caught up in the war with Captain Hook. However not much has been revealed on their current rework of the project what are you expecting?
Disney‘s adaptation is based on the YA novels by Peter and the Starcatchers, the books were written by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, again not much is know about the adaption but the books are prequels to J. M. Barrie’s novels, and follow Peter and Wendy. It is also rumored to be written by Jesse Wigutow, whether the ideas from their 2005 talks with Jay Wolpert to film in 3-D have been revisited we do not yet know.
Several other classic children’s tales have recently been given remakes; Disney‘s Alice in Wonderland in 2010 with Tim Burton based on the Lewis Carroll classic, Oz the Great and Powerful another Disney film this time based on The Wizard of Oz, Jack the Giant Slayer earlier this year was Legendary Pictures new take on classic fairy tale Jack and The Beanstalk, similarly Warner released Red Riding Hood in 2011. Perhaps most relevant to these ‘Panprojects’ however is Snow White which had 2 re-makes out very close together with Relativity‘s Mirror Mirror and Universal‘s Snow White and the Huntsman both being released spring/summer 2012, with the later having also now been given a sequel. Who know’s if this is what Disney, Columbia or Warner are hoping for but it seems there is a lot of promise for success in this category, as Disney and Warner have already proved but will they be able to repeat their success and will Columbia be able to capitalise?
What do you think of these ‘Panprojects’? And which are you most excited to see?
