Livia De Paolis had enlisted an impressive cast for her upcoming adaptation of the ‘Peter Pan’-inspired novel ‘The Lost Girls’, penned by Laurie Fox. Ellen Burstyn and Emma Thompson have signed on to the picture which will depict four generations of women in the Darling family.
De Paolis will portray Wendy Darling, the main female character, who first appeared in J.M. Barrie’s play ‘Peter Pan’ and later in the expanded novelization ‘Peter and Wendy’, which inspired the famous Disney animated movie, simply called ‘Peter Pan’. De Paolis is also writing the screenplay, adapted from Fox’s novel, and directing the feature. In this story, the eternally young Peter has whisked away generations of women in the Darling family, with Wendy being the latest… and the one determined not to have her own daughter, Berry, taken to Neverland.
De Paolis stated:
“I have been fascinated with the hidden meanings of fairy tales since childhood, so when I read Laurie Fox’s novel The Lost Girls I was immediately on board with the way she reinvents J.M. Barrie’s timeless fairytale for a contemporary audience.”
Burstyn will portray her grandmother, while Thompson will play her mother, Jane, however, that part is expected to be a cameo. Thompson’s daughter, Gaia Wise, will play Wendy’s daughter, Berry. Wise has appeared in two movies with Thompson, ‘A Walk in the Woods’ and ‘Last Chance Harvey’, but this marks her biggest role so far.
“Like her grandmother (Burstyn) and her mother Jane (Thompson), Wendy must escape Pan’s hold on her and the promises he desperately wants her to keep. As her daughter Berry (Wise) comes into Peter’s orbit, Wendy must fight to save her relationship with her daughter while reconciling her legacy.”
De Paolis co-wrote, directed, and starred in the 2014 movie ‘Emoticon ;)’. (She also contributed to the soundtrack.) This will only be her second feature film, but movies run in her family, being the former owners of De Paolis Studios, based out of Rome.
Check back for updates about ‘The Lost Girls’ as they arrive.
Source: Deadline
