Peter Pan: Will Smith Reportedly Passed on Captain Hook Role in Live-Action Adaptation

Peter Pan might be one of the most iconic fantasy stories of all time, making way for countless adaptations in recent decades. A new remake of the iconic tale, titled Peter Pan & Wendy, is currently in the works at Disney, with recent reports indicating that Jude Law is in talks to star as the film’s villain, Captain Hook. While Law’s involvement in the film isn’t necessarily confirmed, it does sound like another notable actor passed on the role beforehand. Variety’s Justin Kroll recently tweeted that Will Smith was “the first person who Disney considered for the role”, before “ultimately passing”.

It’s unclear if that comment means that Disney passed on Smith playing Captain Hook, or if Smith himself turned down the role. But given the actor’s recent prominence in the House of Mouse – starring as The Genie in last year’s live-action remake of Aladdin – it’s certainly an interesting tidbit either way.

“Whenever you’re doing things that are iconic, it’s always terrifying,” Smith said of his Aladdin role in a 2018 interview. “The question is always: Where was there meat left on the bone? Robin [Williams] didn’t leave a lot of meat on the bone with the character.”

“[He] infused the character with a timeless version of himself. I started to feel confident that I could deliver something that was an homage to Robin Williams but was musically different. Just the flavor of the character would be different enough and unique enough that it would be in a different lane, versus trying to compete… I think it’ll stand out as unique even in the Disney world. There hasn’t been a lot of that hip-hop flavor in Disney history.”

Peter Pan & Wendy will star Alexander Molony as Peter and Ever Anderson as Wendy. The film will be directed by Pete’s Dragon alum David Lowery.

Would you have wanted to see Will Smith play Captain Hook in a live-action Peter Pan? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!