I love Once Upon a Time. I love seeing characters I grew up with exist in our world and I love how the writers have adapted and evolved these characters. Recently it was revealed that there will be some additions to the town of Storybrooke, including Mulan (my favorite Disney ‘princess’), Lancelot, and many others.
There is one character, though, I am particularly excited for that will be appearing next season. That character is Captain James Hook.
I love the world of Peter Pan. I’ve read the book and watched almost every rendition there is of that story. I am, dare I say it, a Peter Pan fangirl. One of the main reasons for this is the character of Captain Hook. Hook is the embodiment of sinister adulthood. He is a gentlemen, a scoundrel, and the perfect villain to the youthful Peter. He is also dead sexy. The fact that I like him as much as I do would probably be an interesting choice of topic for anybody who study’s Sigmund Freud’s theories.
Anyway.
The next Captain Hook
The casting for this iconic character has been revealed and I must say I totally approve. Â Irish actor Colin O’Donoghue (The Rite) will be the next man sporting the iconic arm ornament and is said to be one the main villains next season. He is described as “a confident pirate who never backs down from a fight; a man who seeks to crush and humiliate his enemies. But he also has the meticulous style and manners of a proper gentleman” (EW.com). It looks like the writers have captured the essence of Hook and it’s just a matter of time before we get to see this iconic villain on the screen once again. I’m excited to see how this character may be updated for Once Upon a Time and how he shall interact with the other characters on the show.
- NEVERLAND – How it all began.
I love mini-series. Love love love them. I love how they have the ability to expand on a story, without ruining its integrity because a mini series does not have to worry about being renewed, like a television show. They have a set structure, a beginning, middle, and end, and if done right they’re fantastic ways to tell a tale.
I bring this up because for the past week I’ve been seeing ads for a mini-series called Neverland  on SyFy. Neverland is an origin story to Peter Pan. We meet Peter while he still lives in London, and Hook before he becomes a captain. For those of you who don’t know, J.M. Barrie, the author of Peter Pan, did not write a prequel. That means that this is all new.
I adore Peter Pan and it is honestly one of my favorite books of all time. Not only is it beautifully written and imaginative, but I love how Barrie includes very adult themes, but writes them in a way so that people of any age can enjoy the book and at each age have a different type of appreciation for it. The story is very Freudian when you think about it.
With that said, I’m excited to see this creative take on the story. It’s not rewriting the original, it’s expanding the lore, and this is not the first time SyFy has presented an “expanded universe” mini-series. The first one they ever did was Tin Man, which was considered a “re-imagining” of The Wizard of Oz, but really it’s a modern day sequel. The second one was Alice, which was a “re-imagining/sequel” to Alice in Wonderland. Both were directed by Nick Willing, who has written and directed Neverland. I really enjoyed both of those mini-series, so naturally I am looking forward to Neverland.
