Syfy making Peter Pan prequel miniseries 'Neverland'

Charlie Rowe is Peter Pan

I'm not a big fan of Syfy's re-imaginings of classic literature, from Tin Man (a modern spin on L. Frank Baum's The Wizard Of Oz) to Alice (based on Lewis Carroll's Alice In Wonderland). To me they feel like an American version of those Hollywood knock-offs from Turkey and the Philippines; taking recognizable ideas and characters, then mangling them into an ugly mess. Regardless, Syfy are about to tackle a prequel to J.M Barrie's Peter Pan, entitled Neverland, written/directed by Nick Willing -- who was behind the aforementioned Tin Man and Alice updates.

The miniseries will focus on orphaned Peter (The Golden Compass' Charlie Rowe), part of a gang of pick-pocketing kids in turn-of-the-century London, led by Jimmy Hook (Notting Hill's Rhys Ifans), who orders his thieves to steal a treasure that transports them all to Neverland; a jungle world thick with legend about eternal youth, where they discover a Native American Kaw tribe that have been protecting the secrets of tree spirits from 18th-century pirates led by Elizabeth Bonny (Pushing Daisies' Anna Friel).

Interestingly, Bob Hoskins has also been cast as sidekick Smee, effectively reprising his role from Steven Spielberg's 1991 movie Hook.

It already sounds like a crass mix of Oliver Twist and Peter Pan to me, although the casting is strong, and it does sound more promising than Tin Man ever did. One to watch?

Filming on the four-part Neverland begins in Italy, Genoa and Dublin next week, scheduled for a 2011 release.