Alyssa Wapanatâhk cast as Tiger Lily in live-action adaption of Disney’s Peter Pan

Alyssa Wapanatâhk cast as Tiger Lily in live-action adaption of Disney’s Peter Pan: ‘SO excited for this new journey’

Canadian actress Alyssa Wapanatâhk has been cast as Tiger Lily in Disney’s live-action adaption of Peter Pan & Wendy.

She wrote on Facebook: ‘This just in… SO excited for this new journey,’ adding the hashtags, #tigerlilly, #peterpanandwendy and #disney.

The actress, who belongs to the Cree (Nêhiyaw) First Nation, joins a cast that includes Jude Law as Captain Hook, Yara Shahidi as Tinker Bell, Ever Anderson as Wendy and Alexander Molony as Peter Pan, according to iMDb

Big role: Canadian actress Alyssa Wapanatâhk has been cast as Tiger Lily in Disney’s live-action adaption of Peter Pan & Wendy

The Illuminerdi was first to report the news, and sources told The Wrap that the character is being reimagined for the new film.

Disney initially adapted the J.M. Barrie novel in 1953, with other adaptations such as 1991’s Hook from Steven Spielberg starring Dustin Hoffman, Julia Roberts and the late Robin Williams; and the 2015 film Pan featuring Hugh Jackman and Garrett Hedlund, with Rooney Mara as Tiger Lily. 

Another film released earlier this year, Wendy, examined the story with the Wendy character as the focal point.

The actress earlier this month announced on social media that she was changing her name from Alyssa Alook to Alyssa Wapanatâhk.

Ready: She wrote on Facebook, 'This just in... SO excited for this new journey'

Ready: She wrote on Facebook, ‘This just in… SO excited for this new journey’

Alyssa plays Tiger Lily, joining a cast that includes Jude Law as Captain Hook, Yara Shahidi as Tinker Bell, Ever Anderson as Wendy and Alexander Molony as Peter Pan

Alyssa plays Tiger Lily, joining a cast that includes Jude Law as Captain Hook, Yara Shahidi as Tinker Bell, Ever Anderson as Wendy and Alexander Molony as Peter Pan 

‘I’ve changed my name… Alyssa Wapanatâhk,’ she wrote, saying that it was ‘a long term career move that [she’s] been waiting to make for quite some time.

‘I’ve always resonated with my name ‘Wapanatâhk.’ This translates to “first star in the sky” or “morning star.” I was given this name at birth and it feels very right to change my name to this now.’

She added, ‘Alook is my family name and I will always have love and respect for this name. And it is also time for a change and I’m loving this one.’ 

Earlier this month, Disney applied content advisory notices to past animated movies like Peter Pan and Dumbo, saying ‘this program includes negative depictions and/or mistreatment of people or cultures.’

The warning continued: ‘These stereotypes were wrong then and are wrong now. Rather than remove this content, we want to acknowledge its harmful impact, learn from it and spark conversation to create a more inclusive future together.’

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