Syfy's Peter Pan prequel

Bob Hoskins returns as Smee in Made for TV film 'Neverland' from SyfyThe buzz at the moment is that Syfy, the cable network is starting production next week in Genoa and Dublin on a 4 hour Peter Pan prequel entitled 'Neverland' that will star Welsh actor Rhys Ifans and Anna Friel.

The 4 hour film event will also see veteran British actor Bob Hoskins reprise his role of Smee from the Steven Spielberg directed 'Hook'.

The brilliant cast are joined by Charlie Rowe who was last seen as the young Robin Hood in the Russell Crowe epic 'Robin Hood' and Raoul Trujillo [in] 'Tin Man'.The story according to the official press release:“Raised on the streets of turn-of-the century London, orphaned Peter (Rowe) and his pals survive by their fearless wits as cunning young pickpockets. Now, they've been rounded up by their mentor Jimmy Hook (Ifans) to snatch a priceless--some believe, magical--treasure which transports them to another world.

Neverland is a realm of white jungles and legendary mysteries of eternal youth, where unknown friends and enemies snatched from time welcome the new travelers with both excitement and trepidation. These groups include a band of 18th century pirates led by the power-mad Elizabeth Bonny (Friel), and the Native American Kaw tribe led by a Holy Man (Trujillo), which has protected the secret of the tree spirits from Bonny and her gang for ages--and that has meant war.

But as the fight to save this strange and beautiful world becomes vital, Hook, Peter, and the ragamuffin lost boys consider that growing old somewhere in time could be less important than growing up--right here in their new home called Neverland.”Comment:  Well, this sounds less stereotypical than every other version of Peter Pan. It even gives a reason for the co-existence of pirates and Indians. Sounds like it could be decent.

For more on the subject, see:

Canadian theaters rewrite Peter Pan
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