Just when you think the Peter Pan fairy tale had been examined from all angles (including the Nirvana/grunge angle *shudder*), Hollywood goes and gives you a version of the story that you have yet to see, with the upcoming film “The Lost Girls.”
According to Deadline, Livia De Paolis has agreed to write, direct, and star in a new take on the Peter Pan tale, “The Lost Girls.” And the filmmaker has already signed three more actresses to join her in the multigenerational tale of the impact Pan and Neverland had on the Darling family. Ellen Burstyn, Emma Thompson, and Gaia Wise (Thompson’s real-life daughter) have agreed to star in the film.
As mentioned, “The Lost Girls” tells the story of four generations of Darling girls, who struggle with life in the real world after their adventures with Peter Pan, specifically focusing on Wendy (De Paolis), as she wrestles with a lack of creative spirit in the wake of her journey in Neverland. “The Lost Girls” is based on the novel of the same name by Laurie Fox, which is of course inspired by the classic story by J.M. Barrie.
De Paolis said, “I have been fascinated with the hidden meanings of fairy tales since childhood so when I read Laurie Fox’s novel ‘The Lost Girls’ I was immediately on board with the way she reinvents J.M. Barrie’s timeless fairytale for a contemporary audience.”
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Obviously, this is far from the first time that Peter Pan has been adapted for the big screen. There have been numerous straight adaptations of the classic tale, including the animated Disney version and the 2015 musical version alluded to before. There have also been spin-off stories that take the iconic story and alter it just a bit, such as the ‘90s classic “Hook,” starring Robin Williams. Hell, there’s even been “Finding Neverland,” which is a biopic about the life of Barrie. Oh and there’s “Leaving Neverland,” the documentary about Michael Jackson allegedly sexually abusing boys…oh wait, that’s something very different.
There’s no release date set for “The Lost Girls.”
