Yara Shahidi to play Tinker Bell in live-action ‘Peter Pan’
Shahidi will be the first Black woman to play Tinker Bell in the classic Disney story
Grown-ish star Yara Shahidi is set to dazzle in Peter Pan and Wendy, the live-action version of Peter Pan.
The young actress will star alongside Jude Law who will play Captain Hook, Alexander Molony and Ever Anderson who are playing Peter Pan and Wendy, according to Deadline. David Lowery of Disney’s Pete’s Dragon will direct.
Read More: Yara Shahidi inks major deal with ABC Studios to develop her own projects
Disney’s Peter Pan follows the story of a young vivacious boy named Peter that can fly but never grows up. He is the leader of a group of characters called the Lost Boys who find themselves navigating adventures with Tinker Bell in a fictional realm called Neverland.
The young star is the first Black woman to ever play the role, typically reserved for a white actress. Prior to the announcement that Shahidi would play Tinker Bell, the company named singer and actor Halle Bailey as the new Ariel in Little Mermaid. Bailey also appears with Shahidi in Grown-nish.
Back in July theGrio reported that Shahidi signed her very own deal with Disney that will allow her to create her own content. At the time she gushed about the opportunity in a prepared statement per Shadow and Act,
“I’m thrilled to be partnering with my home family, ABC Studios, in this exciting next chapter, alongside my family,” Shahidi said. “It’s exciting to add our production company to the roster of my peers and mentors who are also actively committed to sharing meaningful stories.”
Shahidi wasn’t the only one elated about the partnership. ABC Studios President Jonnie Davis, also released a statement saying,
“We can’t wait to extend and expand our relationship with the incredibly talented Yara Shahidi, who has been a member of the family since Black-ish,” said ABC Studios”. She continues, “When she’s not studying at Harvard and starring in our series ‘Grown-ish,’ she’s mentoring and inspiring other young people, which makes us all feel like underachievers but also very proud that she’s part of our Studio.”
Read More: Yara Shahidi opens up about growing up with Prince during BETX
The film is slated to debut in theaters, not on the streaming platform Disney +.
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