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HOLLYWOOD — Every few years or so, movie executives powwow to come up with an idea for the next big blockbuster. "We need something fresh," they say while sipping their grande Mocha Frappuccino Lights simultaneously and thoughtfully. Making art is serious business. Minutes tick by without a word spoken in a sort of reverence reserved for important meetings like this where it's inevitable someone will strike gold with a ground breaking idea.
And then it hits. Someone, one of the younger producers, smirks because he's on to something. "What?" another producer says anxiously. "What is it?" The young producer just smiles to himself, building up the anticipation before he throws a mind grenade into the room.
"What if," he says.
"Yes?" They all lean forward, holding their breath.
"What if we make ANOTHER movie about Peter Pan."
All heads turn from the young producer to the head executive sitting at the end of the table in an overly large desk chair surrounded by smoke from an electronic cigarette, because everyone in L.A. is sure that e-cigarettes are much healthier than the real kind. The head executive leans forward out of his Alfred Hitchcockesque shadow and over annunciates his response.
"...Bril-liant."
Everyone starts patting each other on the back and knuckle-bumping. They've done it again. There are so many original and thought provoking screen plays out there, but they know that the idea to regurgitate yet another version of Peter Pan is the better choice. Of course, they all agree that this new version will take a different spin on the beloved story. They wouldn't want it to be white noise in a sea of other Pan films.
And so it goes that Hollywood is gearing up to release "Pan" in July of 2015. No word yet on whether or not Julia Roberts has reprised her role as Tink from the 1991 version which singlehandedly brought the pixie cut hairdo back into fashion, but Hugh Jackman has taken on the role of Blackbeard. He may be the only reason audiences give this otherwise played out pseudo franchise any attention.
Here's a look back at the captains that came before him:
Cyril Ritchard in "Peter Pan" 1999
Tom Hewitt in "Peter Pan" 2000
Jason Isaacs in "Peter Pan" 2003
Christopher Walken in "Peter Pan Live" 2014Nicole Pollard has been writing for KSL and Deseret Connect since 2011. nicolemariepollard@gmail.com
