Late actor Robin Williams is one of the most beloved celebrities in Hollywood. The funny-man of Hollywood has featured in some of the most iconic films of the past few decades. His overtly positive films such as Dead Poet’s Society, Good Will Hunting, and Good Morning, Vietnam have made him an endearing actor for generations.

In 1991, the stand-up comic turned-actor collaborated with legendary director Steven Spielberg on the Peter Pan adaptation Hook. Though the film was not as commercially successful, it has since been regarded as a cult classic. However, the iconic Robin Williams was not Spielberg’s first choice. It was Tom Hanks.

Robin Williams as Peter Pan

Robin Williams

Actor Robin Williams starred as Peter Banning or Peter Pan in director Steven Spielberg’s cinematic adaptation of the beloved children’s tale. It served as a sequel to author JM Barrie’s iconic novel ‘Peter and Wendy’. Spielberg, who was influenced by the father-son tale as a child, wanted to explore an adult Peter Pan who had forgotten about his past.

A huge fan of musicals, Spielberg initially conceived the idea of a musical with Michael Jackson in the lead. However, the plans fell through as Jackson was not keen on depicting an adult version of Peter Pan. Spielberg too abandoned the idea after growing weary of making a musical as he felt that he did not have enough experience to direct a musical. Though the director has filmed short musical sequences in films such as Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, he only made his first full-fledged musical in the recent West Side Story.

For a brief period, Spielberg left the project when his son, Max was born. Nick Castle was hired as the director and it was then that Robin Williams and Dustin Hoffman were signed on. However, the actors had creative differences with the director, and Spielberg returned. The film was released to mixed reviews, with many stating it as one of the director’s weakest entries. It was a moderate commercial success, earning over $300 million against a $70 million budget.

Who Was Steven Spielberg’s First Choice As Peter Pan?

Steven Spielberg

Since its release, director Steven Spielberg has expressed his disappointment with how Hook turned out. He mentioned the dated nature of the sets representing Neverland.  He said,
“I wanna see Hook again because I so don’t like that movie, and I’m hoping someday I’ll see it again and perhaps like some of it.”

Many criticisms about the film spoke about how Spielberg leaned towards his comfort zone by using emotional moments at times. The director also mentioned that he was unsure about what he was doing while directing the film. He said,

“I felt like a fish out of water making Hook… I didn’t have confidence in the script. I had confidence in the first act and I had confidence in the epilogue. I didn’t have confidence in the body of it…I didn’t quite know what I was doing and I tried to paint over my insecurity with production value…the more insecure I felt about it, the bigger and more colorful the sets became.”

Tom Hanks

There has been a long-standing rumor that Spielberg’s initial choice was not Robin Williams, but his frequent collaborator Tom Hanks. The duo has collaborated on five films including Saving Private Ryan, Catch Me If You Can, The Terminal, Bridge of Spies, and The Post.

When Spielberg left Hook to spend more time with his family, he had also considered directing Big, a film that dealt with similar themes of growing up. The film was then directed by Penny Marshall and starred Tom Hanks. While the world will never know if Hook would have been better for Spielberg if Hanks had been cast, it is certainly great to see the late actor Robin Williams star in yet another nostalgic adventure ride.