Disney’s live-action ‘Peter Pan’ casts Yara Shahidi as Tinker Bell

Los Angeles

Disney reportedly cast “Grown-ish” star Yara Shahidi to play Tinker Bell in its upcoming live-action adaptation of “Peter Pan.” The film will be called “Peter Pan and Wendy” and is set to be directed by David Lowery (“Pete’s Dragon,” “The Old Man & the Gun”). Deadline reported the news of Shahidi’s casting, and also reports that Jude Law will play Captain Hook.

The titular roles will be portrayed by Alexander Molony and Ever Anderson, respectively. Per the outlet, “Peter Pan and Wendy” will mark the first time a woman of color has played the character of Tinker Bell in a major production, similar to Halle Bailey’s casting as Ariel in the upcoming “Little Mermaid.”

The character was portrayed as white in the original 1953 animated classic and has been played by the likes of Julia Roberts, Keira Knightley, and Paloma Faith. The 20-year-old actress seemingly confirmed the news on Instagram Friday, sharing a picture of Tinker Bell drawn as a Black woman. “Thank you for all of your love. It, truly, means so much to me,” she wrote in the caption. “I’m excited about this next adventure!” She also shared a photo of herself dressed in green and wrote, “lettssssgooo #Tinkerbell.”