Looking Forward - Pan (2015)

Last week brought with it a look at this movie poster for the upcoming movie Pan and boy it looks good. It features for main characters but let's be honest here and state from the off that all the focus is really on Hugh Jackman. There again, why wouldn't it be? He is stood in the foreground and menacingly great. I didn't want to forget what the film was all about though so I thought I would dig a little and the the opportunity to talk about the low down so far.

Pan is due for UK release in October and is a live action telling of the story of the boy who never grew up, Peter Pan. What makes it a little different is this film is set to lift the lid on the origin of the story that everyone loves and to provide a back story to not only Peter but Captain Hook as well.

With Warner Brothers at the helm I foretell a Harry Potteresque epic sweeping into cinemas and although I am usually an indie girl at heart, I am excited to see what is in store. Even more exciting to me is the directorial talents of Joe Wright who has huge period dramas Pride and Prejudice and Atonement under his belt. For me, origin films should take on elements of a historical film so of course I am hoping for big sweeping scenes to offset the action. I am not worried about the dramatic aspects either because Wright also directed The Soloist which I wrote about at University (if you haven't seen it and like a gritty biopic, put it on your list).

So, that's the feel, look and flow of the film in good hands. What about the actors? Who is playing who?

Levi Miller is stepping into the magical role of Peter Pan. I'm afraid I can't tell you very much about him because he is relatively unknown. I love it when major films do this with casting young actors as it keeps the role fresh and new. Remember when Freddie Highmore was announced as the new Charlie Bucket? I hope Levi can inject that same untainted feel into Peter Pan.

When Rooney Mara was cast as Tiger Lily people were not happy deeming her 'too white' and demanding the role go to a Native American. I say shush up and let the casting directors do their job eh. Most people will know her from The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo but I absolutely loved her in Side Effects. Although little is known about what role Tiger Lily is going to play in this particular adaptation, I always saw her as a comforter to Peter and implacable in his journey. I have no doubt that Mara is right for this and look forward to seeing her (her costumes alone are marvellous).

Most exciting for me is Captain Hook. I never found him scary as a youngster and this film offers to tell us a lot more about him. I love a good back story and for me Hook has always been a bit elusive, like the Joker in Batman. I look forward to finding out more about Captain James and bringing him to life is Garrett Hedlund. I'm thrilled at this choice. With only a handful of films behind him he is fresh enough to BE Hook and as an actor he isn't shy to action.. I expect some mega cool swashbuckling!

So there we are some faces to remember and some characters to love dearly. Pan looks immense and I will be queueing for a ticket. Don't believe me? Look at the trailer...