Disney's Live-Action 'Peter Pan' Remake Casts Jude Law As Hot Captain Hook
It's a pirate's life for Jude Law. The New Pope actor has signed on to star as the villainous (and in recent depictions, frequently hot) Captain Hook in Disney's new live-action remake of Peter Pan, titled Peter Pan & Wendy, directed by David Lowery (Pete's Dragon).
Variety reports that Jude Law is boarding the Peter Pan and Wendy cast as Captain Hook, the mustache-twirling villain with a hook for a hand who terrorizes Peter Pan and his Lost Boys. Law will be joining newcomers Alexander Molony and Ever Anderson, who have been cast as Peter and Wendy, respectively, in the Disney live-action remake helmed by Pete's Dragon and A Ghost Story director David Lowery. Lowery also co-wrote the script with Toby Halbrooks.
With Law set to play Captain Hook in Disney's latest live-action remake, it cements Captain Hook as the hottest fairy tale villain. Law will follow in the footsteps of Dustin Hoffman, who played the title character in Steven Spielberg's Hook, as well as recent iterations of the pirate antagonist played by Jason Isaacs in P.J. Hogan's 2003 Peter Pan and Garret Hedlund in Joe Wright's Pan. Recent depictions on TV, such as Colin O'Donoghue's eyelinered take in Once Upon a Time, all seem to be in agreement that Hook is hot.
It may be a surprise to those raised on Disney's 1953 animated adaptation of the J.M. Barrie novel, which depicted Captain Hook as a foppish buffoon, but the character as invented by Barrie was always one coded to the hedonistic temptations of the time — described by the author as "the handsomest man I have ever seen, though, at the same time, perhaps slightly disgusting." Isaacs' depiction in the fantastic 2003 Peter Pan, which to this day is the best adaptation of the tale, is probably closest to Barrie's vision: a faded glam rockstar with a tattoo and a sensual, bloodthirsty attitude. Law likely won't be able to tap into the sexual undertones of Captain Hook like Isaacs did, because he's in a Disney film, but with the actor's innate allure, he can probably get pretty close.
Lowery's adaptation of the story, which follows a string of recent Peter Pan films such as Benh Zeitlin's Wendy and Brenda Chapman's Come Away, will reportedly be a "rollicking adventure" with "grounded emotion," according to his producer Jim Whitaker. Variety reports that the release is expected to be theatrical and not go the Disney+ streaming route.