The race to get the next fantasy character up on screens (in this case, Peter Pan) has taken a turn, with word that Gary Ross has officially decided to make Peter And The Starcatchers his next movie.
The man who last brought us The Hunger Games – and then passed on the chance to make the sequel – has been weighing up several possible projects for a few months now. In July, it was announced that he was seriously considering Jesse Wigutow’s adaptation of Dave Barry and Ridley's book.
Berry and Pearson’s 2004 tome has already been turned into a successful, Tony-winning play and has been in development at Disney for a while now. The plot acts as a semi-prequel to Peter’s adventures in Neverland, following a young Pan on a voyage making friends with a girl named Molly. She reveals the existence of a trunk full of magical starstuff that has been targeted by the evil Black ‘Stache’ Moustache, a pirate with pillaging on his mind. Together, the kids must keep it out of Black Stache’s hands…
According to Deadline, the producers are waiting for Wigutow to deliver his next script draft in October before deciding on budgets and other details. But Ross is apparently pushing to make the movie next year.
If it does go into production, this would be in competition with Sony’s take on Pan, which features Warrior’s Gavin O’Connor directing and Channing Tatum as a producer.