By now we should expect that filmmaker Joe Wright (“Atonement,” “Pride & Prejudice”) creates nothing if it’s not lavish and of a certain scale. Even his 2011 action thriller “Hanna” turned into an elaborate fairy tale complete with a wicked witch villain and he transformed Tolstoy’s “Anna Karenina” into an opulent and epic romantic drama. Naturally, Wright’s back in fairy tale mode for his live-action version of Peter Pan (simply titled “Pan”). But it’s a tactile world not surrounded by CGI.
“I’ve tried to build as much as possible,” Wright told EW earlier this summer. “Hence [the] ridiculously enormous forest. I tried to be as physical about it as possible, not to ground the fantasy but to bring it to life.” And perhaps this is why “Pan,” epic in size and scope, was pushed from July 24th to this fall. Does that mean the movie’s in trouble? We’ll have to wait and see, but as of right now it does have a “good” October release date (though if it gets bumped again into early 2016, there’s your final answer). As you might expect, “Pan” is an origin story and apparently the producers aren’t counting out a trilogy if the movie performs well.
The film stars Oscar nominee Hugh Jackman (“Les Misérables”) as Blackbeard; Garrett Hedlund (“Inside Llewyn Davis”) as Hook; Oscar nominee Rooney Mara (“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”) as Tiger Lily; Adeel Akhtar (“The Dictator”) as Smee; Amanda Seyfried (“Les Misérables”) as Mary; and newcomer Levi Miller as Peter. Here’s the official synopsis:
Offering a new take on the origin of the classic characters created by J.M. Barrie, the action adventure follows the story of an orphan who is spirited away to the magical Neverland. There, he finds both fun and dangers, and ultimately discovers his destiny—to become the hero who will be forever known as Peter Pan.
Rounding out the cast are Taejoo Na, Kathy Burke (“Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy”), Kurt Egyiawan (“Skyfall”) and more. Written by Jason Fuchs, “Pan” is set for a worldwide release in 3D and 2D in select theaters and IMAX on October 9th. A new trailer has arrived along with a poster and photos and you can watch and check them out below.
