Director Gavin O’Connor (Warrior) has been tapped to helm the Sony Pictures production of Neverland, a film that features Channing Tatum (21 Jump Street). There is some confusion as to the plot of Neverland, which was formerly known as Pan; this is where the trouble started. When last we reported on this particular Peter Pan-related project, there was another movie titled Pan that was also in production. That film, directed by animation sequence and video game director Ben Hibon (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1), stars Aaron Eckhart (The Dark Knight) as Captain Hook, AnnaSophia Robb (Bridge to Terabithia) as Wendy and Sean Bean (Game of Thrones) as Smee. Scripted by Benjamin Magid, this twist on the classic J.M. Barrie tale pits a heroic Captain Hook in search of a child-stealing Peter Pan.

While this actually sounds like a fresh spin on an old story, it has nothing to do with the Tatum and now, O’Connor version. Plot details are in short order, but a previous report did pitch the idea that Peter Pan and Captain Hook were brothers. It’s all rather confusing. Hit the jump to sort it out. [Update: Tatum's reps have clarified that he's only production the origin take on Peter Pan, not starring].

In the two-part SyFy original movie Neverland, from writer/director Nick Willing (Alice, Tin Man) and premiering on December 4^th and 5^th, actor Charlie Rowe (The Golden Compass, Pirate Radio, Never Let Me Go) plays Peter, a 14-year-old pickpocket who, along with his young gang, is mentored by English gentleman Jimmy Hook (Rhys Ifans). When they are all transported to the magical realm of Neverland, during the robbery of a mysterious orb, this new world sends Jimmy over the edge, and Peter must fight to protect his friends and Neverland itself, taking his first steps on the path to becoming a legend.

During this recent exclusive phone interview with Collider, the 15-year-old Brit talked about becoming a part of Neverland and taking on the iconic character of Peter Pan, when he first became aware of the classic story and the effect that it had on him, being able to identify with the limitations of age and innocence, working with this accomplished cast, the challenges of learning to fly, and growing so much throughout this experience that he feels like he went into the project as a child but came out of it as an actor. Check out what he had to say after the jump:

Much like he did with Oz in Tin Man and Wonderland in Alice, writer/director Nick Willing is bringing Neverland to life, in a two-part original movie for SyFy, premiering on December 4^th and 5^th. An original prequel story to author J.M. Barrie’s classic Peter Pan, Peter (Charlie Rowe) and his young pickpocket pals are rounded up by their mentor Jimmy Hook (Rhys Ifans) to steal a magical orb, which inadvertently transports them all to another world, known as Neverland. Once there, they encounter power-mad pirates, led by the seductive Elizabeth Bonny (Anna Friel), a Native American tribe and a colony of tree spirits that possess a magical mineral dust that enables the pure of heart to fly. As the fight to protect and save this beautiful world escalates, Peter must decide whether growing old somewhere in time is more important than defending the place where he will never grow up.

During this recent exclusive phone interview with Collider, writer/director Nick Willing talked about what made him choose to go with a prequel to the Peter Pan story, the importance of remaining faithful to the tone of the book, how he would have loved to have been able to talk to Barrie about his work, assembling such a talented cast for the film, the challenges of bringing a fantasy world to life on a TV budget, and why he always finds himself pulled back to the fantasy genre. He also talked about already working on creating his next SyFy movie about another known fantasy world (he can’t reveal what it is because SyFy has not made the announcement yet), and that he is also creating his own world as a television series, set a little bit in the future. Check out what he had to say after the jump.

From writer/director Nick Willing (Alice, Tin Man), Neverland – premiering on SyFy on December 4^th and 5^th – is an original prequel story to author J.M. Barrie’s classic Peter Pan. In 19^th Century London, Peter (Charlie Rowe) and his young pickpocket pals are sent out by their mentor Jimmy Hook (Rhys Ifans) to steal a magical orb, which inadvertently transports them all to another world, called Neverland. This mysterious realm includes the power-mad Elizabeth Bonny (Anna Friel) and her band of 18^th Century pirates, trapped and in search of the secret to the tree spirits’ magical mineral dust, in order to have the power to fly. As the fight to protect and save this strange and beautiful world escalates, Peter and his crew must face harsh realities, as they learn that never growing up might be preferable to growing up like the corrupt Hook.

During a recent interview to promote the SyFy debut of Neverland, co-stars Rhys Ifans and Anna Friel talked about how they came to be playing such captivating characters, how thrilling it was to be a part of this new backstory, showing the evolution of the Peter and Hook relationship, and what they enjoy most about working in the fantasy genre. Check out what they had to say after the jump:

Though we’ve seen several iterations of the Peter Pan tale from Disney’s animated adventure to the Steven Spielberg’s sequel story Hook, audiences never seem to tire of the boy who doesn’t want to grow up. Well Sky Movies over in the United Kingdom is delivering Neverland, yet another take on the story, but this version follows the never-before-told story of how Peter Pan became the Boy Who Never Grew Up. The cast includes Rhys Ifans (who’s playing the villain in The Amazing Spider-Man) Anna Friel from Pushing Daisies, Charlie Rowe as Peter, Keira Knightley as the voice of Tinkerbell and Bob Hoskins playing Smee (just like he did in Hook). Unless you’re in the UK with a subscription to Sky Movies this July, you might be waiting a while to check this one out, but you can see the cool trailer after the jump along with some new images from the film.

Keira Knightley will provide the voice of Tinker Bell in Sky Movies HD and Syfy’s Live-Action Peter Pan prequel, Neverland.  Knightley joins Rhys Ifans, Anna Friel, Bob Hoskins, Charles Dance, and Charlie Rowe in the two-part movie, which is scheduled to air this summer.  The prequel re-imagines Peter Pan and his Lost Boys as a group of pickpockets who are transported to Neverland by a magical orb.  It’s the second Peter Pan prequel we’ve heard of in recent weeks, joining Pan, which will star Channing Tatum and was picked up by Sony Pictures.

Hit the jump for the full press release.  Knightley will be seen later this year in the dramas Last Night and A Dangerous Method.  She’s also circling roles in David Cronenberg’s Cosmopolis and Joe Wright’s adaptation of Anna Karenina.

Sky Movies Premiere HD just sent over a clip and as well as a few images from their new film Neverland.  Featuring a solid cast that includes Rhys Ifans (upcoming Spider-Man reboot), Golden Globe-nominee Anna Friel (Pushing Daisies), Oscar-nominee Bob Hoskins (1986′s Mona Lisa), and Charlie Rowe (Never Let Me Go), Neverland is described as a “bold new take” on J.M. Barrie’s famous Peter Pan tale.  Nick Willing (Syfy’s Alice mini-series) pulls double duty, writing and directing the film.

Hit the jump to check out a behind-the-scenes clip as well as a couple of images from the film.  Look for Neverland to be released in two 90-minute parts later this year.  The film will air exclusively on Sky Movies Premiere HD.