Nobody does nostalgia like Disney; over its hundred year history the brand has been a mainstay for children of all age. The brand loves to tickle fans’ nostalgic bones by turning its hit classical animated features into live-action movies and has been successfully doing it, and while there are a couple of such highly anticipated live-action movies lined up, Disney+ has given us the first look at the upcoming Peter Pan & Wendy in its 2023 slate trailer.
In the new trailer, Ever Anderson’s Wendy is seen taking her first flight and Alexander Molony’s Peter Pan’s first meeting with the Darling brothers is showcased. Undeniably, the movie will feature some action sequences as Wendy is seen sword fighting with some pirates aboard Captain Hook’s ship. The re-imagination of the classic story feels quite contemporary in this first look.
The feature is helmed by director David Lowery, who penned the screenplay alongside Toby Halbrooks. The director previously revealed to Collider that Peter Pan & Wendy is the “first movie I've made from an adult perspective. He explained, "I think, personally speaking, it's my favorite thing I've ever made, which I wasn't expecting going into it, but it is. I've never been as in love with a movie as I am with this one… I just love this movie. It's the most personal thing I've ever made."
While the inclusion of Wendy’s name in the title seems like a minor change, in the grand scheme of things it is something to be noted. Disney is continuously making efforts to fit its classic tales in a modern mold. One such effort is the decision to cast Halle Bailey as Ariel in the upcoming live-action feature The Little Mermaid. During the D23 expo showcase, Anderson explained that her character is being treated as an "equal" to Peter Pan so instead of being a female lead, Wendy will be a co-protagonist in this journey through Neverland. Furthermore, Jude Law revealed that his version of Captain Hook comes with a dedicated backstory, where at one point Peter and he were allies.
The movie casts Molony as Peter Pan, Anderson as Wendy Darling, Yara Shahidi as Tinker Bell, Law as dreaded Captain Hook, Joshua Pickering as John Darling, and Jacobi Jupe as Michael Darling, along with Alan Tudyk and Molly Parker, who play parents to Darling children, George and Mary, respectively.
Peter Pan & Wendy currently has no set release date, but will debut on Disney+ sometime in 2023. You can check out the new trailer below: