Actress Yara Shahidi will play Tinkerbell in new live action from Disney, Peter Pan and Wendy. She is the first black woman to play this role, traditionally reserved for white actresses.
We know the name of the one who will play Tinker Bell in the next film about Peter Pan, the highly anticipated new live action of Disney. Yara Shahidi that we could see in the series Black-ish, its spin-off Grown-ish but also Scandal has just landed this cult role. The young actress will be the first black woman to play this role, traditionally reserved for white actresses. She follows in the footsteps of Halle Bailey, African-American actress who will play the role of Ariel, in the live action The Little Mermaid.
According to Deadline, Yara Shahidi will then reunite with Jude Law who will play Captain Hook as well as Alexander Molony and Ever Anderson, who will play Peter Pan and Wendy respectively.
In the various adaptations of the tale, the Tinkerbell is the hero's closest friend, a little boy who never grows old and takes the children to the magical world called Neverland. Julia Roberts portrayed the fairy in Steven Spielberg's film, Hook or Captain Hook's Revenge.
These last years, Disney continues to make progress in diversifying its classic characters. The production company doesn't hesitate to hire actors from all backgrounds to play roles usually reserved for Caucasian actors.
In 2016, Yara Shahidi explained why her character in Black-ish, Zoey Johnson, was from "activism through art". Now, the young star plays in the spin-off of the show and continues to gain in popularity. Her commitment earned her to be named among the "30 most influential teens" of Time Four years ago.
This live action of Disney will be directed by David Lowery, who was already in charge of Peter and Elliott the dragon and A Ghost Story. This new feature film should be titled Peter Pan and Wendy. While the live action Mulan was released in streaming on the platform Disney + following the health crisis due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the film Peter Pan should indeed be released in theaters.