Disney is to cash in yet again on the current craze for live action re-boots of popular children’s stories, announcing that it is to re-make Peter Pan.

According to the original report by Deadline, the studio has landed director David Lowery to take charge of the project, developing a script written by Toby Halbrooks. The pair have previously worked together on the forthcoming fantasy adventure movie Pete’s Dragon, and Lowery himself directed the 2013 critical indie hit Ain’t Them Bodies Saints.

This news represents Disney's latest attempt to get box office mileage out of J.M. Barrie’s children’s character Peter Pan and the world of Neverland. The 1953 animated version is still, of course, the gold standard.

Jon FavreauThe news comes on the eve of the release of Jon Favreau's 'The Jungle Book'

Steven Spielberg did a reasonable job in a 1991 live-action re-make called Hook, while the 2003 re-boot Peter Pan by PJ Hogan was a box-office disaster, as was Joe Wright’s rather strange musical live action attempt Pan just last year.

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It comes on the eve of the release of Disney’s much-anticipated overhaul of The Jungle Book, directed by Jon Favreau. It’s expected to open to a hefty $70 million opening weekend in the States.

Ken Branagh’s Cinderella, featuring Lily James, did astonishingly well last year, taking nearly $543 million around the world which added further impetus to Disney’s policy of scouring its back catalogue of animated movies and commissioning them for live action re-boots.

2016 also sees the live action sequel Alice Through the Looking Glass, the original of which launched this trend in the first place. Disney has also given the green-light for re-makes of Beauty and the Beast, which stars Emma Watson and is almost finished.

Tim Burton’s version of Dumbo is also in the works, as is Pocahontas and Tinkerbell - it’s unclear whether this new Peter Pan movie will cross-over with the Tinkerbell in some way.

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