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In J.M. Barrie's original 1904 play "Peter and Wendy," the fairy Tinker Bell was typically represented by a powerful spotlamp, reflected onto the stage by a small hand mirror. Her dialogue was a series of small jingle bells, shaken offstage. When Barrie adapted his play into a 1911 novel, Tinker Bell remained mute, although she was able to participate in the action more closely. In the first film adaptation of Barrie's work, Herbert Brenson's 1924 film "Peter Pan," Tinker Bell was a light dangled by a string in long shots but actor Virginia Browne Faire in close-ups, either filmed against outside sets or composited into the frame.

In 1953, directors Hamilton Luske, Clyde Geronimi, and Wilfred Jackson brought Pan to life in the celebrated animated film "Peter Pan," released by the Walt Disney Company. In that film, Tinker Bell was also mute, but could be animated as a miniature person in most of her scenes,...

The number of Hollywood feuds is practically unfathomable, and it's not always easy to keep up with the latest beef. Though problems often arise between co-stars when the cameras turn off, disagreements have been known to happen between directors and actors. The tabloids had a field day with Julia Roberts and Kiefer Sutherland during their notorious relationship, a distraction that caused a lot of tension on Steven Spielberg's Hook set in 1991. Spielberg accused Roberts of poor behavior on set, but it's almost hard to imagine when looking back at both of their careers because neither of them seems to have endured any further instances of that nature since.

These types of feuds are notorious, however, with one of the most well-known being the heated tensions that flared between Kramer vs. Kramer costars Dustin Hoffman and Meryl Streep. Hoffman a noted Method actor verbally and physically harassed Streep, later confessing...

Deals close in Australia, Middle East, Scandinavia, Japan.

Premiere Entertainment Group (Peg) has reported robust pre-sales on the upcoming Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare from the producers behind this year’s hit Winnie The Pooh: Blood And Honey.

Peg has licensed rights involving theatrical components on the slasher horror to: Australia and New Zealand (Umbrella), Mexico and Latin America (Cine Video y TV), Germany and Italy (Plaion), UK (101 Films), Benelux (Movie Company), France (Crome Films), and Spain (Flins y Piniculas).

Further deals have closed in Scandinavia (Njutafilms), Japan (Rights Cube), Middle East (Vox Cinemas), Turkey (Bg Film), Russia/Cis...

Children's books are home to some of the most well-known and beloved stories. Highlighting every genre, from fantasy to educational, lessons are always at the core, making sure its readers walk away with something new. From popular authors such as Dr. Seuss to lesser-known authors with equally popular stories, such as Judi Barrett, a film adaptation helped to further bring their stories to life.

Intellectual property has been invaluable to the entertainment industry since filmmaking was created, with studios and filmmakers desperate to get their hands on the best stories to date. Adapting a book into a film often goes wrong, with the filmmakers not staying true to the source material or leaving important things out. But sometimes, creators nail it and end up making incredible adaptations.

Related: 8 Animated Movies Getting Live Action Adaptations in 2023 & 2024

Fantastic Mr. Fox

Based on Roald Dahl's children's book of the same name, 20th Century Fox...

Peter & Wendy premiered on Disney+ on Apr. 28, and its performance is dividing fans, to say the least. The film is a live-action remake of one of Disney’s most beloved classics, another one in the list of reboots that the company attempts to do with actors and actresses without much success. This is not to say that most live-action remakes have flopped, but Disney is having trouble finding the formula to bring its most iconic movies to the 21st century.

More conservative voices would argue that remaking the original animated films is a mistake, but that would be simplifying the issue. Some of these movies have performed better than others, and it’s not the same to remake a film from the 50s as one from the 90s.

So, did Peter Pan & Wendy change the source material too much or too little? Aside from any commercial cutbacks or sudden decisions that affect the result,...

As Peter Pan fans await “Peter Pan & Wendy,” Hollywood’s latest adaptation of J.M. Barrie’s beloved tale, it may make one wonder just how many times the fictional character’s story has been told. From Broadway plays to televised events to a Robin Williams-led and Stephen Spielberg-directed “Hook,” playing Peter Pan never gets old.

Peter Pan was created by Scottish novelist and playwright J.M. Barries, who crafted the character from several inspirations, which included his personal aversion to adulthood, and a boy named Peter Llewelyn Davies, whom he befriended and later adopted after growing close to his family.

Peter Pan made his first appearance in Barrie’s 1902 novel “The Little White Bird.” The writer then adapted the flying boy’s story into a play titled “Peter Pan, or the Boy Who Would Not Grow Up” in 1904. Peter Pan was then turned into a book in 1911, originally titled “Peter and Wendy,...

Disney's new live-action Peter Pan & Wendy is rated PG for "parental guidance" rather than just G for all ages. The film is the latest live-action remake by Disney, reimagining J.M. Barrie's Peter & Wendy, which was originally a play and then a book. The film is also inspired by Disney's own 1953 animated adaptation of Barrie's work, Peter Pan.

Like most Walt Disney Animation Studios films, the original Peter Pan was rated G. Disney's live-action remakes, however, tend to get more mature ratings than their animated counterparts. For example, the 2020 Mulan remake and 2021's Cruella were both rated PG-13, as was the recently released live-action Pinocchio. A PG rating means "some material may not be suitable for children" and according to the Motion Picture Association of America, Peter Pan & Wendy is rated PG for "violence, peril and thematic elements." So is it appropriate for kids?

Related: Peter Pan & Wendy...

The question you may be asking is ‘do we really need yet another take on Peter Pan? Ever since J.M. Barrie published his book “Peter And Wendy” in 1911 there have been countless film, TV, and stage versions of one stripe or another, starting with silents, and of course NBC’s live musical in the 50’s with Mary Martin, and later versions with Sandy Duncan, Cathy Rigby, and just a few years ago another NBC live attempt at it with Allison Williams. Of course there have been big screen spins, neither quite magical, like Joe Wright’s messy 2015 Pan and Spielberg’s overblown Hook with Robin Williams and Julia Roberts. Up to this moment even Broadway has a new Tony contender in the farcical take, Peter Pan Goes Wrong. But for me the one version that resonates the most, to this day, is the Disney 1953 animated feature classic.

So here we are again,...

One can almost set their watch to film adaptations of J.M. Barrie's celebrated 1904 play "Peter and Wendy." 

The story of the flying elf boy from Neverland and his friendship with a human girl from Earth was such a massive success and left such a strong cultural impact, that sequels and cross-media adaptations began cropping up only a few years after its debut. Barrie himself would turn the play into a novel in 1911, but that wasn't before he had already written two Peter Pan sequels in 1906 and 1908. The first filmed version of "Peter Pan" would be made by Herbert Brenon in 1924.

Perhaps the best-known adaptation, however, came to cinemas in 1953 when Walt Disney Studios released their animated version directed by Hamilton Luske, Clyde Geronimi, and Wilfred Jackson. The iconography from the Disney "Peter Pan" remains entrenched most firmly in the pop consciousness, and it continues to be one of the...

Disney's live-action Peter Pan & Wendy adaptation is on the way, and much has already been revealed about the movie's story, cast, and release date. The studio began developing the project in 2016 as a take on the animated 1953 Peter Pan film. That feature itself is based on the same original material of J. M. Barrie's 1911 novel Peter and Wendy, which has other names in addition to a 1904 play. Disney announced the official title for Peter Pan & Wendy back in January 2020, and since then there's been a steady trickle of news coming from the studio.

As one of the most beloved stories of all time, there have been several Peter Pan adaptations over the years, including books, comics, and dozens of stage productions. On the movie side, notable works include Steven Spielberg's 1991 film Hook, the 2003 Peter Pan novel adaptation, the origin story Pan, and Wendy, a 2020 reimagining from the title character's perspective.

David Lowery is a square peg who refuses to let Hollywood fit him into a round hole. 

In the 10 years since the filmmaker broke out with "Ain't Them Bodies Saints" (the 2013 romantic crime drama that /Film's review describes as "Cormac McCarthy by way of 'The Assassination of Jesse James By the Coward Robert Ford'"), Lowery has gone from helming acclaimed high art indie dramas to earnest Disney films and dream-like fantasy epics. His latest offering, "Peter Pan and Wendy," marks yet another hard pivot for Lowery, bringing him back into the world of live-action Disney remakes -- sorry, re-imaginings, as the House of Mouse insists on calling them -- for a new take on J.M. Barrie's fairy tale that looks to bring something genuinely fresh to the oft-told story, which would be quite the accomplishment in and of itself.

Officially said to be based on both Barrie...

"Are you...Peter Pan?" "You were expecting someone else?" Disney has unveiled a second official trailer for Peter Pan & Wendy, formerly known as just Peter & Wendy, the latest Pan movie made by the studio. "This year, return to Neverland." Peter Pan & Wendy is a live-action reimagining of the J.M. Barrie novel and the 1953 animated classic. It's the latest movie directed by David Lowery - get ready to experience the timeless adventure featuring the beloved characters like never before. A live-action adaptation of J.M. Barrie's classic tale of a boy who wouldn't grow up and recruits three young siblings in London to join him on a magical adventure to the enchanted Neverland. Starring Alexander Molony as Peter, Ever Anderson as Wendy Darling, Yara Shahidi as Tinker Bell, Jude Law as Captain Hook, Jim Gaffigan as Mr. Smee, plus Alan Tudyk, Molly Parker, Joshua Pickering, Jacobi Jupe, and plenty others.

Peter Pan has delighted audiences for over a century. The character’s latest incarnation, “Peter Pan and Wendy,” will stream April 28 on Disney+. Wendy and her brothers head to Neverland where Peter, leader of the Lost Boys, doesn’t want to grow up. But the pleasures of a childhood kingdom, shared with Tinker Bell and Tiger Lily, are shattered by the presence of the evil Captain Hook, played by Jude Law.

Watch the “Peter and Wendy” trailer:

Also arriving on the platform next month is “Rennervations,”t he new series from erstwhile Avenger Jeremy Renner. He and his team of expert builders use their skills to transform different vehicles that have seen better days into mind-blowing creations that serve communities around the world. The show, which premieres on April 12, will see Renner and company turning a tour bus into a mobile music studio, a delivery truck into a mobile water treatment facility,...

"Perhaps I don't want to grow up!" Disney has revealed the first trailer for Peter Pan & Wendy, formerly known as just Peter & Wendy, the latest Peter Pan movie from the Mouse House. This is skipping theaters entirely, heading for Disney+ for streaming at the end of April. "This year, return to Neverland." Peter Pan & Wendy is a live-action reimagining of the J.M. Barrie novel and the 1953 animated classic from Disney. It's the latest movie directed by David Lowery - get ready to experience the timeless adventure featuring the beloved characters like never before. A live-action adaptation of J.M. Barrie's classic tale of a boy who wouldn't grow up and recruits three young siblings in London to join him on a magical adventure to the enchanted Neverland. The movie stars Alexander Molony as Peter, Ever Anderson as Wendy Darling, Yara Shahidi as Tinker Bell, Jude Law as Captain Hook,...

Rhys Frake-Waterfield's new horror film "Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey" takes the toddler-like characters from A.A. Milne's beloved 1926 children's novel, and transforms them into lumbering, human-hating, bloodthirsty serial killers. If you ever wanted to see Christopher Robin's little yellow Pooh bear as Leatherface from "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre," then "Blood and Honey" is for you.

The central gag of Frake-Waterfield's film is, of course, the juxtaposition of Milne's childlike innocence with the violent crassness of your average slasher movie. One might ostensibly get a certain lascivious thrill from seeing well-known childhood imagery blended with adult material. A similar approach was used in Danishka Esterhazy's 2019 film "The Banana Splits Movie" which saw the stars of the 1968 children's TV show turned into murderous robots, as well as any number of horror fairy tales.

Because most of the above stories are now in the public domain ("The Banana Splits...

The story of Peter Pan has been around since 1902. Scottish writer J. M. Barrie first included the character in his novel The Little White Bird before it was expanded as a West End play in 1904. The play premiered in December under the title Peter Pan; or, The Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up, and in most cases, the titular boy was played by a young woman due to laws about minors working after 9 P.M. and the speculation that an adult male actor would not have suited the role. It has since become a tradition for the role to be played by a woman on stage. Barrie expanded on the play with a novel titled Peter and Wendy in 1911.

Lin Manuel-Miranda’s Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning musical “Hamilton” is a strong contender for multiple Emmy nominations including for Best Variety Special (Taped) and for performers Miranda, Leslie Odom Jr., Daveed Diggs, Philippa Soo, Jonathan Groff and Christopher Jackson. Filmed over three days at the Richard Rodgers Theatre on Broadway including two live performances in 2016, “Hamilton” premiered on July 4, 2020 on Disney + and was a real respite from the lack of live theater due to Covid-19. The acclaimed presentation has already received several honors including the Producers Guild Award, Critics Choice, Costume Designers Guild and Cinema Audio Society.

Though musicals have been popular on television since the earliest days of the medium, it’s rare that the original Broadway cast gets to reprise their roles such as Manuel and company did with “Hamilton.’ The first time was in 1955 when the cast of the hit Broadway musical “Peter Pan” reunited soon after...

Announced earlier today, Peter Pan and Wendy, Disney's live-action remake of their animated Peter Pan movie from 1953, has officially started production. While a premiere date still on Disney+ still has yet to be revealed, the House of Mouse confirmed in a press release on Tuesday that principal photography on the remake has started in Vancouver. The project is the latest of many animated classics to be reimagined in recent years by Disney.

"Peter Pan has long been one of my favorite stories, partially because I've always resisted growing up, but also because of the heart, adventure and imagination that makes J.M. Barrie's original tale so evergreen," Lowery said in a statement. "I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to redefine his iconic characters for a new generation - and even more excited that I get to do so with such an exceptional cast and crew."

David Lowery, who previously helmed...

Principal photography on the live-action adventure/fantasy “Peter Pan & Wendy” has commenced in Vancouver. The film is directed by David Lowery (“Pete’s Dragon”) and produced by Jim Whitaker (“Pete’s Dragon”). “Peter Pan & Wendy” will premiere on Disney+ in 2022.

Based on J. M. Barrie’s novel “Peter and Wendy” and inspired by the 1953 animated classic, “Peter Pan & Wendy” is the timeless tale of a young girl who, defying her parents’ wishes to attend boarding school, travels with her two younger brothers to the magical Neverland. There, she meets a boy who refuses to grow up, a tiny fairy and an evil pirate captain, and they soon find themselves on a thrilling and dangerous adventure far, far away from their family and the comforts of home.

The film stars Jude Law (“Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them”) as Captain Hook; Yara Shahidi (“Grown-ish”) as Tinkerbell; Ever Anderson (“Black Widow...

In a flood of announcements from Disney's annual investor day presentation, the studio also dropped that Peter Pan and Wendy is officially in pre-production and will skip theaters to premier exclusively on Disney+. When Disney rolled Mulan direct to streaming, it was positioned as an extraordinary measure, meant to help offset the effects on the studio of the ongoing global health crisis. Mulan was available only to subscribers and, only then, after those same subscribers paid an additional premium viewing fee. Disney indicated that Peter and Wendy would also see its release follow the same model.

Peter Pan & Wendy will be flying to #DisneyPlus. David Lowery directs an amazing cast including @YaraShahidi in the role of Tinker Bell and Jude Law as Captain Hook.

The Walt Disney Company has opted to suspend production on all films, be they shooting across the Atlantic Ocean or simply in pre-production in California. The delay comes on the heels of international upheaval in the film industry during the escalating coronavirus pandemic.

Among the biggest delays is director Rob Marshall’s highly anticipated remake of The Little Mermaid. The film, which was apparently nine days away from filming, stars Halle Bailey as one of Disney’s most popular princesses, the aquatic Ariel, as well as Melissa McCarthy as the dastardly Ursula the Sea Witch. The movie was set to begin shooting in England later this month and is still expected to shoot there, although with no public date in mind.

Another major casualty is the Disney/20th Century Studios film, The Last Duel, which saw director Ridley Scott returning to his period epic roots. The Last Duel, a true...

Eight long years after “Beasts of the Southern Wild,” Benh Zeitlin brings that same rust-bottomed sense of magical realism to the legend of Peter Pan, reframing J.M. Barrie’s Victorian classic through the eyes of the eldest Darling. “Wendy,” as the indie-minded not-quite-family-film is aptly titled, re-envisions its title character as a working-class kiddo raised at a whistle-stop diner, who witnesses one of her young friends disappearing on a passing freight train and a few years later decides to follow it to the end of the line, where runaway urchins don’t age and the Lost Boys live like “The Lord of the Flies.”

Although the director’s feral energy and rough-and-tumble aesthetic make an inspired match for a movie about an off-the-grid community doing everything it can to resist outside change (that was essentially the gist of “Beasts” as well), cinema has hardly stood still since Zeitlin’s last feature.

From bears to lions to deer: Disney is developing a lifelike remake of its 1942 animated feature “Bambi,” Variety has confirmed.

Screenwriters Geneva Robertson-Dworet (“Captain Marvel”) and Lindsey Beer (“Sierra Burgess Is a Loser”) will write the screenplay, with Chris and Paul Weitz’s Depth of Field producing.

The film will employ the same photo-realistic CGI used on Disney’s remakes of “The Jungle Book” and “The Lion King” to tell the story of the titular fawn who befriends a rabbit and skunk before coping with the death of his mother at the hands of a hunter.

Since 2010’s “Alice in Wonderland,” Disney’s strategy of remaking its animated classics as (presumptively) live-action films has been highly lucrative, grossing over $8.2 billion worldwide, and the studio shows no signs of slowing down. This year will feature “Mulan” from director Niki Caro, and the “101 Dalmatians” prequel “Cruella” with Emma Stone is set...

La Jolla Playhouse has announcedthe complete cast and creative team for its upcoming musical Fly, based on the J.M. Barrie novel Peter and Wendy, with book by Pulitzer Prize finalist Rajiv Joseph Playhouse's Guards at the Taj, Broadway's Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo music by Tony, Emmy and Grammy Award winner Bill Sherman music director for Sesame Street orchestrator for In the Heights lyrics by Obie Award winner Kirsten Childs The Bubbly Black Girl Sheds Her Chameleon Skin and Rajiv Joseph, direction by multiple Tony Award-winning producer Jeffrey Seller Hamilton, Rent, Avenue Q, In the Heights, and co-choreographed by three-time Tony Award winner Andy Blankenbuehler Hamilton, Bandstand and Stephanie Klemons In the Heights. Fly will run February 18 - March 29 in the Mandell Weiss Theatre.

La Jolla Playhouse has announced the choreographers and lead cast members for its upcoming musical Fly, based on the novel Peter and Wendy, by J.M. Barrie, with book by Pulitzer Prize finalist Rajiv Joseph Playhouse's Guards at the Taj, Broadway's Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo music by Tony, Emmy and Grammy Award winner Bill Sherman music director for Sesame Street lyrics by Obie Award winner Kirsten Childs The Bubbly Black Girl Sheds Her Chameleon Skin and Rajiv Joseph, directed by multiple Tony Award-winning producer Jeffrey Seller Hamilton, Rent, Avenue Q, In the Heights. Fly will run in the Mandell Weiss Theatre February 18 - March 29, 2020.

Mike Cecchini Joseph Baxter Jul 16, 2019

After Gotham and Krypton, get ready for...Pennyworth, a Batman prequel focusing on Alfred.

Bruno Heller and Danny Cannon, the masterminds behind Batman prequel, Gotham, are staying in the DC Universe a little longer. And Epix will be the well-kept home for Pennyworth, a series about the youth of future Wayne butler Alfred Pennyworth, to apply his trade.

No, wait, come back. There's a rather cool hook to this, as Pennyworth, which arrives as a 10-episode TV series period piece, is set in London in the 1960s. Here's the official Pennyworth synopsis:

"[Pennyworth] follows Bruce Wayne’s legendary butler, Alfred Pennyworth, a former British Sas soldier in his 20s who forms a security company and goes to work with a young billionaire Thomas Wayne, who's not yet Bruce's father, in 1960’s London."

Pennyworth Trailer

There have been several trailers showcasing Alfred Pennyworth (Jack Bannon) in London...

From BAFTA-nominated writer Adrian Hodges (My Week with Marilyn) comes an exciting and modern interpretation of Peter Pan; one of the best-loved children’s novels of all time. Starring Golden Globe and Emmy-winning actor Stanley Tucci (The Hunger Games, The Devil Wears Prada) as both Captain Hook and Mr Darling, Laura Fraser (Lip Service, Breaking Bad) as Julie and Mrs Darling, and the mesmerising Paloma Faith (Youth) as Tinkerbell, Peter & Wendy mixes fantasy with reality in a narrative based around Great Ormond Street Hospital.

The day before her scheduled heart surgery twelve-year-old Lucy Rose (Hazel Doupe) reads aloud to similarly sick children the original novel of Peter Pan by J.M.Barrie. That night she retires to bed with the images and words of what she has just read still in her head. As she falls asleep her dreams turn in to reality as the classic tale is intertwined with her modern day struggles.