Peter Pan & Wendy director promises the movie won't be a "dark and gritty" version of the story

Peter Pan & Wendy director David Lowery isn't the first person to tackle an adaptation of the boy who wouldn't grow up. In fact, one of the most famous takes on the tale is Disney's own 1953 animated movie. 

Lowery's version, he tells SFX Magazine in the new issue, featuring Picard on the cover, is an "adaptation of all the best parts of that film, with plenty of intervention and reinvigoration."

It was the filmmaker's "guiding light" throughout the writing process, and he wanted to make sure that much of the iconography – such as Pan and Wendy flying over London – remained, while more dated aspects (like the original's depiction of Neverland's natives) were removed or updated for modern times. 

Following the release of the trailer, these changes were the biggest talking points. First there was the fact that the footage struck a particularly serious, grounded tone that felt different to the animation. "As a Peter Pan film, it's not going to surprise anyone who knows the original material," Lowery says. "It's very fun and it's funny. If it's grounded, it's only because we were trying to shoot on location, build all of our sets, and have everything feel like a real place. I always value the idea that Neverland is a place that a child could actually get to. As to whether it's a dark and gritty version of Peter Pan… it's not."

Despite Lowery admitting that he has mainly stayed away from the discourse, SFX brings up another online annoyance: why isn't Jude Law's villainous Captain Hook hot? "What are they talking about?" he asks with amazement. "It's one shot! Wait to pass judgement until you see the rest."

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That's just a snippet of our interview, available in the latest issue of SFX Magazine, which features Star Trek: Picard on the cover and is available on newsstands this Thursday, April 20! For even more from SFX, sign up to the newsletter, sending all the latest exclusives straight to your inbox.