On Board with Barrie

Last night, I got together with Bart, Banky, Clara and author Andrea Jones. We had one purpose in mind. We broke out a Ouija Board… …and contacted none other than J.M. Barrie!

He had a lot to say, it turns out. He’s been “spinning in his grave” ever since the Disney movie took hold of the world’s perception of Peter Pan. He also seemed quite perturbed about the many books that have come out.

To our relief, he seemed okay with mine and Andrea’s writings on Pan - but not until we clarified some points for him. Andrea needed to reassure him that the sexuality of her book did not undermine the essence of his story. I needed to explain to him why War had to factor into my book.

We asked, and he loved Jeremy Sumpter, Rachel Hurd-Wood and Jason Isaacs as their roles. He thought a television mini-series of the novel would be best, so that nothing had to be fall by the wayside.

Some points he wanted to emphasize:
Hook is not a comical villain. Peter Pan does not wear tights. And his shadow is not alive.

We tried to get him to give an answer as to whether or not the Jolly Roger flies at the end of the story, but alas, he refused.

Not a single one of us will ever forget the experience, though it did seem rather dreamlike, as if it never actually happened at all.