Two New Peter Pan Projects: One good, and one just plain freaky

Peter Pan will soon be soaring back into movie theatres, but not in the way that we would imagine. Two new film projects, both under the working title of Pan are currently in development. One will explore the origins of Peter Pan, possibly expounding on his story of running away as a baby and living with the fairies. The other film will be portraying Pan as a dangerous villain, and Captain Hook as the only man who can stop his regin of terror.

To clarify: the Pan movie in question refashion's Barrie's classic tale as a modern day detective murder mystery where Peter Pan is literally "the boy who never grew up"- that is, a killer with a youthful apperance who prefers to kidnap children.

Aaron Eckhart has been cast as Hook, a former detective who takes on the task of hunting down the diabolic titular character, while Sean Bean will be playing Smee, a member of the police force and Hook's only ally. Soul Surfer star AnnaSophia Robb is set to appear in the film as Pan's sole surviving (former) victim.

A number of the upcoming projects being sold as “re-imaginings” of classic stories don’t read so much like they truly re-envision the source material – instead, they seem to be merely changing certain details about the plot and characters, so as to better resonate with contemporary moviegoers (see next year’s two Snow White films). Pan, by comparison, sounds like it truly re-interprets Barrie’s famous tale in a much more sinister and unnerving light (for better or for worse).

Eckhart rarely turns in a bad performance and he should do well playing a variation on the standard Noirish investigator character archetype; likewise, Bean seems a nice match to star in the film as a decent but street-smart cop version of Smee opposite Eckhart’s Hook – and together, they fight crime!

On a more serious note: while it’s always irritating when Hollywood (in essence) metaphorically tramples all over a story that most everyone has fond memories of, Pan seems different enough from Barrie’s source material and could possibly even stand on its own. It’s also not the most adult-themed reworking of the Peter Pan story (a title that still belongs to Alan Moore’s “Lost Girls”). Take all that as you will.

As more news about the film comes out, I will be sure to report it.