When Bob Chapek was Disney CEO, Disney+ was consistently flooded with new movies and TV shows. It was a quantity over quality approach that delivered some big hits and more than a few disappointing misses, and Bob Iger's return to the CEO role has led to a huge reduction in content.
The news has just hit the trades that Disney+ is looking to resurrect a long-delayed project as a live-action streaming series: Tink.
The series, which revolves around Peter Pan's Tinker Bell, has been in the works at Disney for at least a decade. However, this latest version is considered a "high priority project" at the streamer, with Friday Night Lights' Liz Heldens and Bridget Carpenter tapped to write and executive produce.
In 2010, Tink was announced as a live-action romantic comedy starring Elizabeth Banks. Adam Shankman, Jennifer Gibgot, and McG were producing that version, and in 2015, another version started moving forward with Reese Witherspoon set to play Tinker Bell. That was a live-action Peter Pan spin-off that similarly failed to come to fruition.
Former Disney Channels Worldwide President/Disney Branded Television President and CCO Gary Marsh is producing Tink for Disney+, with Selfish Mermaid's Quinn Haberman also on board as an executive producer.
Heldens currently serves as co-showrunner on ABC's Will Trent and counts Boston Public, The Passage, and The Orville among her credits. As for Carpenter, she's worked on Only Murders in the Building, Westwood, and 11.22.63, among others.
Disney's Tinker Bell originated in J.M. Barrie's 1904 play Peter Pan. She first appeared in Disney's animated adaptation in 1953's Peter Pan, where she serves as Peter Pan's loyal but sassy sidekick in Neverland. She communicates through jingles and gestures, glows like a firefly, and uses pixie dust to enable flight when combined with happy thoughts.
In the original 1953 film, she is jealous and occasionally vindictive, notably toward Wendy Darling. Disney expanded her role in the Disney Fairies franchise, starting with the 2008 CGI movie, Tinker Bell. This prequel series depicts her as a tinker-talent fairy in Pixie Hollow who repairs items like pots and kettles.
Five more movies were released: Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure (2009), Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue (2010), Secret of the Wings (2012), The Pirate Fairy (2014), and Tinker Bell and the Legend of the NeverBeast (2015). Along the way, Tink has become one of Disney's most iconic characters and unofficial mascots, often featured in promotions, theme parks, and merchandise.
Stay tuned for updates on Disney+'s Tink as we have them.