From the octagon to the land of make believe; Variety reports that Gavin O’Connor, the director of last year’s critically adored Warrior, is in talks with Sony to direct Neverland, a revisionist take on the Peter Pan story. Written by Billy Ray, this version of the story stars Captain Hook as the good guy chasing down the evil Peter Pan all across London as he abducts children.
Channing Tatum was attached to star as Hook, but the trade reports he’ll only produce alongside Joe Roth, the man behind 2010’s Alice in Wonderland reboot directed by Tim Burton and this year’s soon to be released Snow White and the Huntsman, a revisionist take on the Grimm fairy tale starring Kristen Stewart and Chris Hemsworth.
Although the story of Peter Pan has endured for almost a century, it has seen little success on the big screen outside of Disney’s 1953 animated adaptation. 1991’s sequel-ish Hook directed by Steven Spielberg and 2003’s regular adaptation Peter Pan both did terrible at the box office, so Sony’s attempt to try it a different way makes sense business-wise. But creatively? I don’t know.
It sounds pretty ridiculous to tell you the truth; I’m talking the Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter kind where it looks like it’s trying too hard. But with O’Connor nearly on board to direct and Tatum, currently on a hot streak, producing, maybe Neverland has something going for it that I don’t see.
Does Neverland hit the right “revisionist” nerve, or do you think they’re forcing something that isn’t there?