Despite a line-up that boasts of Hugh Jackman, Garrett Hedlund, and Rooney Mara, there has been one conspicuous absence in the cast list for Joe Wright’s Pan: Peter Pan himself. Wright has been searching high and low for a newcomer to play the titular part of the boy who never grew up, and now it appears that he’s found his Peter Pan in the form of Levi Miller.
The young actor will take on the role of a boy swept away from London to Neverland, where he encounters the dangerous pirate Blackbeard (Hugh Jackman) and makes friends (we think) with his eventual nemesis James Hook (Garrett Hedlund). Where the Native American Princess Tiger Lily (played by a decidedly not-Native American Rooney Mara) fits into all this has yet to be seen, but chances are that Peter will have to save the maiden at some point in the proceedings. We’re unlikely to hear much more on plot details until filming is properly underway, but at least we now know which characters will put in an appearance.
Levi Miller does have a few credits to his name, including a bit part on the TV show Terra Nova. He largely fulfills Wright’s criteria that the role of Peter be played by an unknown, which will presumably balance off the fairly star-studded venture. He has a convincing look for the part, too, with dark hair and blue eyes that one can easily associate with a child who will become a great and ageless hero.
With the main cast now finally in place, we can expect to hear more about Joe Wright’s Pan as filming gets underway. The current release date is set for July 17, 2015, so we can add to this to that long-anticipated summer slate of 2015. I must admit that as of now, I’m a bit excited to go off to Neverland one more time.