Actor Christopher Walken has been signed on to play the villainous Captain Hook for their live rendition of the Peter Pan musical.
Walken is no stranger to playing a villain; he was the headless horseman in Sleepy Hollow. But Walken has also been a musical man, showing off his dancing and singing in Hairspray and Jersey Boys.
“He might really be a song and dance man at heart,” said NBC Entertainment chairman Robert Greenblatt at the Television Critics Association press tour.
Greenblatt announced Walken’s role at the press conference, according to Entertainment Weekly.
Peter Pan will be this year’s follow up to NBC’s live showing of The Sound of Music, which starred Carrie Underwood as Maria Von Trapp and Stephen Moyer as Captain Von Trapp. According to the show’s website, the live production of the Broadway musical will be produced by Oscar winners Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, whom also produced The Sound of Music Live.
The word is still out on who will play the title role, which is traditionally played by a female on stage. Kristen Bell was in the running for Peter but her schedule did not work with the production’s August through December time frame. Greenblatt said that they are close to finding the leader of the lost boys.
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