He’s landed himself a ton of award wins and nominations for his recent portrayal of the Joker, and now we’re hearing that Joaquin Phoenix has been given the opportunity to play another of pop culture’s most famous villains. A new report from The Illuminerdi claims that the actor – who’s up for an Oscar this weekend for Joker – has been offered the role of Captain Hook in Disney’s Peter Pan remake, titled Peter Pan and Wendy.
That’s as far as the report goes, so we don’t know if Phoenix will accept the offer. However, it’s clear that the star is the top choice to play the hook-handed piratical villain in the latest adaptation of the classic J.M. Barrie tale, which is expected to land on Disney Plus.
Those who know their Peter Pan will be familiar with the tradition that whoever’s playing Hook will also play Mr. Darling, Wendy and the other kids’ father. The DisInsider, in their write-up of the news, confirms that this will not be the case in PPAW though, so Phoenix’s offer doesn’t include a dual role.
This news follows a previous scoop from The Illuminerdi, which claimed Disney had roped in another DC star for the movie. According to the outlet, Margot Robbie is being eyed up to portray Tinkerbell. At this point in the process, it doesn’t seem like either actor has signed along the dotted line, but with shooting due to begin in April, they’ll have to lock them in soon.
Production on Peter Pan and Wendy will then stretch until August, taking place in Vancouver, Canada. David Lowery and Toby Halbrooks, the director/writer team behind the studio’s Pete’s Dragon remake, are on hand to helm the movie and pen the screenplay.
Of course, Joaquin Phoenix does have a history with Disney, serving as the lead of their 2003 animated effort Brother Bear, but we’ll have to see whether he’ll be hooked back by the Mouse House to play Peter Pan‘s nemesis.