Peter Pan and Wendy director David Lowery has positively compared the upcoming live-action Disney remake to his 2021 epic medieval fantasy film The Green Knight.
In an interview with Total Film, Lowery was asked to speak on his eclectic CV, which includes the crime caper The Old Man & the Gun and the supernatural drama film A Ghost Story, as well as the 2016 remake of the Disney classic Pete's Dragon. "To me, it makes total sense," said Lowery of his two outwardly distinct filmmaking lanes. He then admitted that he sees strong similarities between the last film he directed, The Green Knight, and his next film, Peter Pan and Wendy. "The line between Peter Pan and The Green Knight is minimal," he stated. "I’m like, 'They're both adventure movies. They’re basically the same film, aren’t they?'"
Peter Pan and Wendy was first announced by Disney in 2016 when Lowery signed on to direct the live-action adaptation of Walt Disney's 1953 animated film Peter Pan. Lowery spent the next four years working on the remake's script with Toby Halbrooks, a process that involved removing the original film's racial stereotypes and minimizing the gun violence. The film began casting in March 2020, with Alexander Molony and Ever Anderson signing on to play the titular duo, Peter Pan and Wendy Darling, respectively. By the end of the year, Jude Law, Yara Shahidi and Alyssa Wapanatâhk had boarded the film as Captain James Hook, Tinker Bell and Tiger Lily, respectively, with the rest of the ensemble cast coming together in 2021.
Tiger Lily Was Reinvented for Peter Pan & Wendy
Lowery revealed that Peter Pan and Wendy's take on Tiger Lily will be unlike any previous version fans have seen onscreen. "The challenge for us was: how do we take this character who, going back to the original text, was problematic, and give her a role that is not only supporting, but integral to the entire movie?" he said. "There was nothing from the past that we needed to hang on to when it came to Tiger Lily. The version of the character in the movie, who is so strong and vibrant, it's incredible."
Disney Won't Stop Remaking Its Animated Classics
Following the massive commercial success of Tim Burton's live-action remake of Alice in Wonderland in 2010, Disney has been slowly turning its collection of animated classics into live-action reimaginings. The Jungle Book, Cinderella, The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and Pinocchio, among others, have all received the live-action/CGI remake treatment to varying degrees of critical and commercial success. Besides Peter Pan & Wendy, Disney will release a live-action remake of The Little Mermaid in theaters this summer, while fresh takes on Snow White, Lilo & Stitch and The Aristocats are also on the way.
Peter Pan & Wendy soars onto Disney+ on April 28.
Source: Total Film