Considered a critical and box-office disappointment upon release, Hook has since emerged as a criminally underrated classic with a fascinating production history. Released in December 1991, the film received mixed to negative reviews. It grossed $300 million worldwide, but was a box-office disappointment due to its merely $50 million profit, getting overshadowed that year by blockbusters like Beauty and The Beast and Terminator 2.
Everything with Steven Spielberg is usually associated with success, but he's had a few movies that have had rocky roads in one way or another. Tough shoots like Jaws were a success, while 1941 wasn't. Pressured to be a classic, Hook failed to live up to expectations, however, over time, it has evolved into the classic originally believed it could be.
A Bangarang Idea
James V. Hart, acclaimed screenwriter of classic films like Bram Stoker's Dracula and , wrote the script for Hook. However, the idea for the film actually originated from his son's imagination.
After years of trying to write a Peter Pan movie without it being a remake, Hart's young son asked him "Daddy, did Peter Pan ever grow up?" Hart then knew the story he wanted to write, a story that would be inspired by the baby boomer generation who had grown up and were now in their 40s.
Spielberg Takes Over
Initially, director Nick Castle was at the helm of Hook, then titled "Hook: Return of The Captain," during which time, both Robin Williams and Dustin Hoffman were cast. Castle had previously directed The Last Starfighter and played Michael Myers in Halloween.
In the 1980s, Spielberg had toyed with the idea of making a Peter Pan movie, however, his son's birth led him to abandon the idea and focus on more mature films, like Empire of The Sun and The Color Purple. When the Hook script eventually landed on his desk years later, he connected with the premise of a now-adult Peter Pan who has grown up and lost his imagination. Once Spielberg became interested, Hoffman and Williams preferred to make the project with him and Nick Castle was let go.
Michael Jackson And Casting
When Spielberg was initially interested in making a Peter Pan movie in the 1980s, he wanted to do it as a musical, with Peter Pan-obsessed Michael Jackson as the titular character. Jackson really wanted to do it, however, when Spielberg returned to the project years later, the story had changed so much that Jackson wouldn't make sense as an adult lawyer who had forgotten his life in Neverland.
When Spielberg came on board, Dustin Hoffman and Robin Williams were already attached, although, James V. Hart initially envisioned the height-appropriate Daniel Day-Lewis as Hook and even wrote Tinkerbell for Meg Ryan. As for Peter, producers considered Tom Hanks or Kevin Kline prior to Williams' casting.
Cameos
Audiences can find some pretty interesting cameos in Hook. Singer Phil Collins plays a detective, Spielberg's god-daughter, Gwyneth Paltrow, plays young Wendy, and singers David Crosby, Jimmy Buffett, and a bearded Glenn Close play pirates.
Also, if viewers look closely, they can spot a kissing couple floating in the air after being sprinkled with pixie dust by Tinkerbell on her and Peter's way to Neverland. If audiences squint, they'll see this couple is actually George Lucas and Carrie Fisher. At the time, Fisher was a script doctor and even worked on Tinkerbell and Smee's dialogue for the film.
The Musical
Steven Spielberg has always wanted to make a musical and Hook was almost it. He considered doing it in the 80s with Michael Jackson and then considered doing it for Hook, as a four-hour film in the vein of Doctor Doolittle. So, John Williams collaborated with lyricist Leslie Bricusse to write the songs. However, Spielberg chickened out on the musical idea, a decision he would later regret.
There was so much music written for the movie, so most of the songs intended for the musical became instrumentals, which is the reason John Williams' brilliant score makes the movie nearly wall-to-wall music. Only three songs, "We Don't Wanna Grow Up," "Pick Em Up," and "When You're Alone" made it into the film, the latter of which makes the scene it's in feel like it's straight out of a musical. "When You're Alone" received an Oscar nomination, though, unfathomably, the score did not. Spielberg eventually got his wish and directed his first musical, 2o21's West Side Story.
Production Wasn't Easy
In the early 1990s, box office flops like The Bonfire of The Vanities movie's budget ballooned from $48 million to between $60-$80 million. The film also went overschedule - from 76 days to 166 - which was unusual for a Spielberg film.
Hook was a massive production, with lavish sets like pirate ships and Neverland taking up several soundstages, including the one where The Wizard of Oz's filming took place. This movie connection, combined with the source material and the director, had many in the industry believing Hook could be the next Wizard of Oz.
Tinkerhell
Hook was Steven Spielberg's first star-studded production. While he had worked with stars like Richard Dreyfuss and Harrison Ford before, they had only become stars as a result of the movies he made with them. Spielberg was not comfortable with the fact that Hook featured established A-list stars, in particular Julia Roberts, who was going through a rough time. She had broken up with Keifer Sutherland and in "bad form," briefly left Hook to go to Ireland with his best friend, Jason Patric.
Spielberg was furious and there were rumors he wanted to recast. Julia Roberts returned and she allegedly continued to cause more production problems, earning her the nickname "Tinkerhell." However, some believe this could be because of her frustration with having to film most of her performance alone. In a 60 Minutes interview, Spielberg addresses this but dodged the question of whether he would work with her again or not.
Rufio Prequel
Over the years, the character of Rufio, played by Dante Basco, has gained a huge following. Rufio was an original character created for the film and in 2017, Basco launched a Kickstarter campaign for a Rufio prequel short film.
The Kickstarter was successful and production on Bangarang: The Hook Prequel commenced and was released online later that year. The story concerns 13-year-old Rufio who escapes to Neverland, and the short features many nods to the original film. Basco hopes to turn the short film into a feature or an animated series.
Lost Scenes
Rumor has it, the first cut of Hook was over three hours long, which meant that several scenes got cut, with 11 of them featured on the Blu-Ray. These scenes include fleshing out of The Lost Boys, Hook trying to entice Peter's son Jack to enter the pirate life, and young Peter daydreaming in school and already forgetting Neverland.
However, several more cut scenes that haven't been released include Peter's daughter Maggie becoming a Wendy-like figure to the Lost Boys whom Hook imprisoned her with, and a scene favorited by the Lost Boys actors wherein Peter reads them a bedtime story.
Spielberg Wasn't A Fan But Audiences Were
Spielberg has gone on record with his disappointment in Hook, saying "I didn't quite know what I was doing and I tried to paint over my insecurity with production value," but in recent years, he has said that his children have taught him to love Hook. Despite being touted as Spielberg's next classic film, that distinction would ultimately go to his next movie, Jurassic Park.
While Spielberg and critics may not have been fans, audiences were and the movie has since become a beloved classic. Hook's popularity is perhaps because the generation who saw it upon its release have become Peter's age in the movie, and they relate to its nostalgic themes of youth and imagination. And while critics may have panned it, it's hard to believe that a lavishly designed and produced, brilliantly acted, thrillingly scored, and emotionally resonate and joyous movie like Hook wouldn't be a welcome piece of filmmaking in today's CGI filled and somewhat cynical world.
