Peter Pan & Wendy: First look at New Live Action Disney Movie

Peter Pan & Wendy is set to be a live-action adaptation of Walt Disney’s 1953 animated film Peter Pan

The teaser features a stunning shot of Neverland, and the arrival of Wendy and the Lost Boys. Originally, it was announced that the film would release on Disney+ due to COVID-19  and then released theatrically. In 2020, it was announced the film would be released as a Disney+ exclusive.

Fans responded to the teaser stating that it’d be hard to top the original Peter Pan (2003) film with Peter Isaacs, which was made by Universal studios.

Disney+ is taking a myriad of new projects for both film and TV, not too different from what Netflix once did with all their Netflix Originals pre-pandemic. Among their newer projects, we have a Peter Pan & Wendy live-action. The teaser for the new show was released on D23.

The cast includes newcomers Alexander Molonoy as Peter Pan, and Ever Anderson as Wendy. Jude Law will play Captain Hook, Jim Gaffigan will play Mr. Smee, Yara Shahidi will play Tinker Bell and Alyssa Wapanatâhk will be Tiger Lily. And, Anderson has expressed amazement at being able to play Wendy, and stated that the new adaptation has worked very hard to give her character more depth and nuance. 

Peter & Wendy film poster © Disney

The fantasy adventure film will be directed by David Lowery, based on a screenplay by Lowery and Toby Halbrooks. The pair had previously worked on the 2016 remake of Disney’s Pete’s Dragon. Lowery and Halbrook had been working on the drafts for the screenplay for a couple of years. Development for the project started on April 13, 2016.

The title “Peter Pan & Wendy” implicitly states that both characters are seen as equals in the film. In the first-look footage, the attendees to D23 were introduced to a live-action Wendy who joins the boy who refuses to grow up on a magical trip to Neverland. The new series will also re-imagine and expand the role of Tiger Lily, described in Peter Pan as a princess in her own right. The character has received a lot of criticism over the years due to racist depictions, however, Wapanatâhk is a Canadian Cree actress.

Many fans expressed a mix of excitement and curiosity about Lowery’s vision for the film. Many praised the diversity and consistency of his directing resume despite not being 40 yet.

Disney’s long-term project for their previous animated films is to have them adapted to live-action format. They began with The Lion King, followed by Mulan, and most recently, Pinnochio.

Peter Pan & Wendy is set to release on Disney+ in 2023.