Earlier today came the news that none other than Jude Law (Captain Marvel, Sherlock Holmes) is in talks to take on the role of Captain Hook for Disney's upcoming Peter Pan & Wendy. Though the casting itself was welcome news to some, many film fans sighed to themselves and fired up their keyboards as this marked the first they'd heard of the latest attempt at rebooting J. M. Barrie's classic story. We've collected some of the reactions to the news below which range from simply annoyed to the downright hostel, while some were receptive to the news and are eager to return to Neverland.
It is worth noting that despite the reluctance of some, Peter Pan has not been mined and re-adapted for the big screen like other characters such as Robin Hood and King Arthur, who seemingly complete the trifecta of "stories frequently rebooted by Hollywood." This is due to the copyright status of Peter Pan, which is quite murky but still a potential legal landmine.
Barrie previously transfered the ownership of the copyright to Peter Pan to Great Ormond Street Hospital in London, who continue to enforce the copyright on Barrie's play and authorize its adaptation into feature films (the work will seemingly join Barrie's novel in the Public Doman in the United States in 2023). As a result, there aren't as many official Peter Pan movies as you might think.
For those that still think news of another Peter Pan is one too many, filmmaker David Lowery is the mastermind behind this new version and he's both aware of its position as something precious to Disney fans and as a story that has been told and retold and retold still.
"There’s a lot of expectations for a Peter Pan movie because people love it. And there’s also the fact there’s a lot of Peter Pan movies, and so I just want to make sure that if we make this one — I know Disney feels the same way — if we’re going to make this one, let’s make it right," Lowery told EW back in 2018 (he's been attached since 2016). "It has to be personal to me. It also has to be the kind of movie that people who love the original Peter Pan movie are going to love. And that’s why I’m still agonizing over every little detail on it."
He continued, "You’re just like constantly, saying, 'Okay, culturally what works now?' Something as simple as taking the guns out of the pirates’ hands changes like a lot of beats from the classic Disney movie. I mean, Captain Hook has a lot of funny scenes with his pistol. The original Peter Pan movie’s obviously horribly racist, and so that will have to go out the window. Anyway, I can go on all day about it, but my point is is that when I finish it, it will be good."