Peter Pan and the ‘similar but different’ mindset

Interesting article in THR explaining why Peter Pan projects are infiltrating Hollywood. Currently four projects set up or floating around:

* The.Never.Land (spec script): screenwriter John Swetnam — “Tells the story of Wendy and the forever-young boy with a Twilight-ish spin.”

* Peter Pan (pitch): producer Jeff Rake — “Pan family adventure concept.”

* Pan: screenwriter Billy Ray — “Reimagines the classic 1904 stage play (and later novel) by J.M. Barrie with the boy and the dastardly Captain Hook as brothers.” Sold: Sony.

* Neverland (spec script: screenwriters Aaron Henry and Kirk Kjeldsen — “Pan recast as a villain abducting London’s children, while Hook, the hero, must stop him.”

Why the sudden interest? Per THR:

The Pan pileup comes amid a wave of fairy-tale and classic literature projects taking hold in Hollywood, as studios seek to move away from the comic books and toy brands that have filled multiplexes. On the heels of Red Riding Hood, several versions of the Snow White tale are in the works, as well as Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters at Paramount and Jack the Giant Killer at Warner Bros.

I have talked a lot about the ‘similar but different’ mentality that is pervasive among Hollywood buyers. This Peter Pan rush is a classic example where the drive to find projects that are both familiar to consumers, yet distinctive enough to be considered ‘new’ creates a whole other level of similar but different: multiple projects with the same general story conceit. It’s reminiscent of the slew of body switch movies that came out in the late 80s: Like Father Like Son, Vice Versa, 18 Again, Big (for more on that, go here.

This dynamic is a lot like gold mining: Somebody hits a rich vein, everybody in town will keep digging there until it’s tapped out. So comic books and board games dried up? In come fairy tales.

Which means the seven-figure spec script sale question is… where’s the next gold mine?

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