Disney Sets Jesse Wigutow To Script ‘Peter And The Starcatchers’

[finebydesign]

Posted: 5/18/12 at 11:12am

Disney Sets Jesse Wigutow To Script ‘Peter And The Starcatchers’

EXCLUSIVE: Disney has hired writer Jesse Wigutow to adapt the best-selling children’s novel, Peter and the Starcatchers, the 2004 book published by Disney’s Hyperion which gives the backstory for the iconic Peter Pan character.

Co-authored by Dave Barry and Ridley Pierson, the book has become a hot property, with the current Broadway adaptation having just nabbed nine Tony Award nominations, including Best Play. Peter and the Starcatchers is the first in a series of books by the authors, giving franchise potential to the project.

Wigutow’s adaptation of the Robert Ludlum thriller Osterman Weekend is in development with Brian Kirk directing at Summit, The Crow with F. Javier Gutierrez attached to direct at Relativity Media, and the Steve McQueen biopic at Cross Creek.

Wigutow is repped by UTA, attorney Warren Dern, and Benderspink.


Source Updated On: 5/18/12 at 11:12 AM

[rjm516]

Posted: 5/18/12 at 5:11pm

Should have gotten Rick Elice!

[darquegk]

Posted: 5/18/12 at 6:52pm

Disagree- it would be hard, I would imagine, for someone who has constructed the world of their show with such brilliantly self-aware theatricality to strip that away and create something cinematic.

I'm not saying that he couldn't, I'm just saying that it would be wise to get someone with a fresh perspective. Elice undoubtedly has configured the whole show and his take on the show very deliberately, and it would be hard to step out of the "theatre of players" mentality and get a fresh look at the material since, like so many reviews pointed out, a lot of times the show was about the show more than the plot, and the magic and ingenuity of theatre more than the demands of the tale itself.

[bdn223]

Posted: 5/19/12 at 12:17am

It will be interesting to see what Disney does with the movie, whether is an adaptation of soley the book or the play, or both. The play is only great bcause of its theatricality, id wonder if they do the film in a similar, well instead of stage effects using classic film effects, none of which i can think of, but who knows its Disney