Meron and Zadan to Bring Peter Pan to ABC as TV Musical

Variety reports that Craig Zadan and Neil Meron--the producers of the upcoming film version of Hairpray--will bring a movie musical of Peter Pan to the small screen.

No casting for Peter Pan has been set, but Zadan and Meron are aiming for an ABC broadcast at the end of 2007.  Although Peter Pan has been seen by millions due to the televised stage show starring original Pan Mary Martin, the musical--which features a score by Moose Charlap, Carolyn Leigh, Betty Comden, Adolph Green and Jule Styne built around the original play by J.M. Barrie--has never been made into a movie or TV musical.

"This is a huge priority for us and has been over the almost two years it took to get the rights.  (Peter Pan) is spot on in the tradition of classic ABC musicals, with huge family appeal across every generation," said ABC movies executive Quinn Taylor.  The project, which was approved by Sony before it was sent to the channel, will feature a teleplay by Irene Mecchi (Disney's The Lion King, Hunchback of Notre Dame, Meron and Zadan's "Annie").  While Meron and Zadan usually produce for Touchstone, Sony owns the rights to Peter Pan.

Meron and Zadan have been contemplating a TV musical of Peter Pan since 1993, when they worked with Jule Styne on the television musical version of Gypsy that starred Bette Midler.  The team--who are currently in Toronto shooting the star-studded upcoming big screen musical of Hairspray--were the producers behind the Oscar-winning Chicago.  Other musicals that they have brought to TV audiences include "Cinderella," "Annie," and "The Music Man," as well as the award-winning "Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows."  Upcoming projects include a TV movie version of A Raisin in the Sun, starring members of the Broadway revival cast (such as Sean Combs and Audra McDonald).

Zadan said that the new Peter Pan will feature some contemporary elements, but will also honor the intentions of the creators.   "It's not unlike what we're doing with Hairspray...We're not taking the shows verbatim and putting them on film. We're reinventing them while honoring the basic material."

The original 1954 production of Peter Pan starred Mary Martin as the boisterous title character. Martin's performance was preserved on the 1960 televised version that is beloved by parents and children even today.  Martin, who originally starred in a 1955 live TV version, played Peter to Cyril Ritchard's Captain Hook. A hit 1979 revival starred Tony Award-nominee Sandy Duncan as well as George Rose.  Ex-Olympic gymnast Cathy Rigby headlined a 1990 revival, and has played Peter Pan in several stints since then (she played the perennial lost boy for the last time in 2005).