Since Gary Ross was dumped from directing THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE, everyone has been wondering what his next project would be. It looks like he finally settled on adapting PETER AND THE STARCATCHERS for Disney.
PETER AND THE STARCATCHERS will be based on the novel by Dave Barry and Ridley Pierson, which itself was turned into a Tony-winning stage show. The novel is the first in a series published by Hyperion, which is owned by Disney. The series serves as a prequel to PETER PAN.
Plot: The story is an adventure on the high seas and on the faraway Mollusk island. An orphan boy named Peter and his pretty, mysterious new friend, Molly, overcome bands of pirates and thieves in their quest to keep a magical secret safe and save the world from evil. Characters include the scary but somehow familiar Black “Stache” Moustache and ferocious crocodile Mister Grin to the sweet but sophisticated Molly and fearless Peter.
PETER AND THE STARCATCHERS will continue the currently popular trend of revisiting beloved fairy tales and modernizing them. With SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN, MALEFICENT, ALICE IN WONDERLAND, and the series ONCE UPON A TIME, it looks like this one should be an easy sell.
Ross is a decent director whose best movie was PLEASANTVILLE. He doesn’t have a very distinct visual approach and the biggest complaint was that THE HUNGER GAMES action sequences were too muddled. PETER AND THE STARCATCHERS should provide a large enough canvas that Ross can do what he does best: paint a beautiful picture.
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