Fatherhood played an important role in Joe Wright’s decision to adapt J M Barrie’s classic Peter Pan in “Pan”, which he says is dedicated to his four-year-old son Zubin.
The 43-year-old director is not new to tackling literary tomes for the big-screen; be it “Pride & Prejudice”, “Atonement” or “Anna Karenina”, but in “Pan” he found the perfect story to show the bond that his son shares with mother Anoushka Shankar.
“I wanted to make a film for my son. When I read the screenplay, I saw the story about a boy’s love for his mother. I wanted to bear witness to the love and the amazing bond that exists between my son and his mum,” Wright said over phone from New York.
“Also, I was interested in the nature of fairytales. I wanted the story to reflect my son’s fears and then show him, through the course of the narrative, how to overcome them with courage and imagination.”
The director is happy that his son, thought slightly young for the story, has loved his version of Peter Pan. The movie is replete with details from Wright’s own childhood and the director says revisiting his younger self was fun.
The director is confident that young girls in India will identify with Tiger Lily, played by Rooney Mara. The casting attracted some criticism initially with the makers being accused of giving the role to a Caucasian actress even though Barrie described her as an “Indian princess”. “When people were criticising the casting, I said ‘Wait till you see the movie. You will understand. Don’t judge before watching it’.
The live-action film talks about the beginning of the beloved characters created by Barrie. Miller acts as Pan and Jackman as Blackbeard in the movie. PTI
