By now, we’re all in agreement that Disney villains have significantly better craic than Disney heroes – and it seems that the entertainment behemoth has taken that into account while casting its recent live-action blockbusters. Angelina Jolie gave Maleficent an image makeover; Aladdin had Hot Jafar (Marwan Kenzari); Chiwetel Ejiofor made delightful egomaniac Scar the most fascinating character in The Lion King reboot, and Gong Li as shapeshifting witch Xian Lang in Mulan is more fun to watch than any member of the Hun army in the original cartoon.
Now, according to Variety, Jude Law is heading to Neverland (second star to the right and straight on until morning) to play Captain Hook. For those who need reminding, J M Barrie’s pirate captain terrorises the fantastical world of the Lost Boys in pursuit of revenge against Peter Pan – who cut off Hook’s hand in a duel and fed it to a saltwater crocodile. David Lowery (Pete’s Dragon) will direct the project, which is slated for a theatrical release.
In addition to Disney’s 1953 cartoon, Barrie’s story of the “boy who wouldn’t grow up” has been subject to several live-action adaptations through the years. Robin Williams starred as an adult Peter, who has to return to Neverland to rescue his children in Steven Spielberg’s 1991 Hook; Jason Isaacs appeared as both Hook and George Darling in 2003’s Peter Pan, and Joe Wright directed the (deeply cringe) origin story Pan in 2015. Most successfully, Johnny Depp appeared as Barrie himself in Finding Neverland, Marc Forster’s brilliant 2004 film about the inspiration behind the children’s story. Bring on Law in a pirate’s costume.
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