Just a few weeks ago a story emerged that Joe Wright had made an offer to Javier Bardem to play Blackbeard in his Peter Pan prequel, Pan, and there was question whether the blockbuster-shy actor would consider it. But after starring in Skyfall, which is no indie by any measure, it seemed like a distinct possibility. However it didn't work out that way, and instead it looks like it will be Hugh Jackman terrorizing Peter Pan instead.
Variety reports Jackman, who is coming off perhaps his darkest turn ever in Prisoners, will play the pirate villain in the Jason Fuchs-scripted film, which just landed on the 2013 Black List of best unproduced screenplays. Not that it means the movie will be good, mind you. The film will be an origin story about an orphan taken to Neverland where he grows up to lead the natives in a fight against the pirates.
With Blackbeard as the lead villain, Captain Hook is actually Pan's ally before eventually turning evil. The search is still on for the Hook role, with Ryan Gosling apparently turning it down, as well as for someone to play Pan and his love interest, Tiger Lily. Pan has been scheduled to release on June 26th 2015.
