Rooney Mara To Play Tiger Lily In Joe Wright’s PAN

Rooney Mara has been signed on to the lead female of Tiger Lily in director Joe Wright’s Peter Pan prequel Pan. She’ll be helping the still uncast Peter Pan defend Neverland against invading pirate Blackbeard (Hugh Jackman).

Interestingly, it is looking as if Garrett Hedlund as Hook may be one of the film’s heroes, with he and Tiger Lily being reported as a couple in the film.

Given that Tiger Lily is a native American character in J M Barrie’s original book, and a bit of a stereotype at that, it may strike some as problematic that Wright has cast the Caucasian Rooney in the role. But according to The Wrap, it looks as if the casting is part of a larger casting process.

Wright is planning to create a world that very international and multi-racial, effectively challenging audiences’ preconceived notions of Neverland and reimagining the environment.

I’m not sure how casting one of the story’s few minority characters with a white woman while the other two major cast members already announced are also white leads to the diversity that the Wrap’s source claims Wright is shooting for. However, I am willing to hold off judgement until we hear a few more casting decisions.

The film is set for release in 3D on July 17, 2015.