Disney released the first footage of “Peter Pan & Wendy,” the studio’s upcoming live-action adaptation, exclusively at the D23 Expo on Friday. The film will debut on Disney+ in 2023.
The film’s cast, including Ever Anderson as Wendy, Jude Law as Captain Hook and Alyssa Wapanatâhk as Tiger Lily, took the stage for the reveal.
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“It’s been really amazing to be able to play Wendy,” Anderson said. “Wendy and Peter are equals in this film.”
“We got to mine their backstory a little more and try to know their past, when they were friends,” Law added. “It was nice to layer in that understanding of why Hook is so iconic.”
The D23 audience got to see the footage in person, which showcased the first looks at the classic characters in a grittier, more realistic take than we’ve seen before. Starring Alexander Molony and Ever as the titular characters, “Peter Pan & Wendy” follows J.M. Barrie’s 1953 classic novel of Peter Pan (Molony), a boy who doesn’t age and the children he whisks away to a magical world of Neverland.
Alongside Molony and Anderson, Law and Yara Shahidi also star, playing the classic Disney villain Captain Hook and Tinkerbell, respectively. Shahidi is the first Black woman to take on the role on screen. Other adaptations of the original film include Steven Spielberg’s “Hook” starring the late Robin Williams and Joe Wright’s “Pan.”
For both Molony and Anderson, the roles are the biggest of their young careers. Molony’s past credits include the Sky One sitcom “The Reluctant Landlord” and the Disney Junior series “Claude,” while Anderson is best known for portraying young Natasha Romanoff in “Black Widow.”
“Peter Pan & Wendy” is directed and written by David Lowery, and co-written with Toby Halbrooks. Jim Whitaker and Joe Roth serve as producers. The film is produced by Walt Disney Pictures, Whitaker Entertainment and Roth/Kirschenbaum Films.
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