The previously untold story of how Peter Pan ended up in Neverland, coming to Sky Movies Premiere HD soon
The two-part film is prequel to the famnous tale, but will feature familiar elements such as the Lost Boys, Captain Hook, the indians, the crocodile and, of course, Neverland itself. It also sees Bob Hoslkins returns to the role of Mr Smee, whom he previously played in Steven Spielberg’s Hook .
Neverland, which will be shown in two 90-minute parts, has been written and directed by Nick Willing, whose previous genre credits include similar reimaginings of Alice In Wonderland ( Alice ) and The Wizard Of Oz ( Tin Man ) for the US Syfy network.
Raised on the streets of turn-of-the-century London, orphaned Peter (Charlie Rowe) and his pals survive by their fearless wits as cunning young pickpockets. Now, they’ve been rounded up by their mentor Jimmy Hook (Rhys Ifans) to snatch a priceless treasure whose magical powers transports them to another world.
It's here that the boys find themselves confronted by a band of 18th century pirates led by the power-mad Elizabeth Bonny (Anna Friel), and the Native American Kaw tribe led by a Holy Man (Danny Trujillo), which has protected the secret of the tree spirits from Bonny and her gang for ages.
As the fight to save this strange and beautiful world becomes vital, Hook, Peter, and the ragamuffin Lost Boys consider that growing old somewhere in time could be less important than growing up.
“The legend of Peter Pan spans generations, and never fails to delight and entertain,” says Ian Lewis, Director of Sky Movies. “Despite many different interpretations, there’s never been a movie of how it all could have come to be – this is that story. Neverland is a fantastic coup for us and a landmark event for Sky Movies.”
JM Barrie originally bequeathed the rights to Peter Pan to Great Ormond Street Hospital in 1929 and Neverland will subsequently be supporting the great work of the famous children's hospital. Christine De Poortere, Peter Pan Director at Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity commented, “We’re delighted that Neverland will be benefiting Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity in the spirit of JM Barrie’s legacy.”
Photographs by Patrick Redmond.
