'Peter Pan & Wendy': 10 On-Screen Captain Hooks, Ranked
Peter Pan, J.M. Barrie's timeless play-turned-novel about the boy who never grows up, has captured the hearts and imaginations of generations for over a century. Peter's adventures with the Darling children and Lost Boys in the magical world of Never Land prove he's an iconic hero – and no hero is complete without a great villain to challenge them. Peter's erstwhile antagonist is none other than the pirate Captain Hook.
Captain James Hook is one of the most famous, iconic pirates in all fiction. The source material is no stranger to adaptation, and dozens of actors have had their shot at giving the hook-handed villain their own personal stamp. From TV musicals to animation and beyond, there's a boatload of interpretations of this iconic pirate out there.
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10 Christopher Walken - 'Peter Pan Live!'
In the mid-2010s, NBC decided to bring back televised musical theatre as live event TV. The second outing of these musicals ended up being 2014's Peter Pan Live!, based on the 1950s stage musical. This production starred Allison Williams as Pan, and Christopher Walken as Hook.
RELATED: 10 Best Live Musical Adaptations on Network TV
Though not a total stranger to musicals (he has a tap-dancing background, which came in great use in Pennies From Heaven and Hairspray) Walken as a casting choice for Hook was certainly unorthodox. His interpretation was understated to say the least, rather than foppish or bombastic. It was another former Hook that got the better reviewed performance of the broadcast, Broadway star Christian Borle, who played Mr. Darling and Smee.
9 Garrett Hedlund - 'Pan'
Pan, Joe Wright's 2015 riff on the story, has a unique twist by giving the characters unexpected origin stories. Here, Peter (Levi Miller) is a mysterious twelve-year-old orphan who is stolen away from the orphanage by flying pirates and ends up in Neverland, forced to work in a pixie dust mine for the ruthless Blackbeard (Hugh Jackman.) Peter becomes allied with Tiger Lily (Rooney Mara) and another miner, James Hook (Garrett Hedlund) and tries to save Neverland along with finding his true destiny.
Since Blackbeard is the villain in this take on the tale, Hedlund's Hook (who has both hands) is more adventure hero than pirate. Joe Wright often makes films based on famous novels, and with Pan he wanted to play with people's preconceived ideas and expectations. Unfortunately, the film was a box office bomb, so most people haven't even seen Hedlund's heroic Hook.
8 Colin O'Donoghue - 'Once Upon A Time'
ABC's fairytale drama Once Upon A Time puts dozens of beloved classic characters in a Stephen King-esque Maine town and wraps everything in intrigue and fantasy. Emma Swan (Jennifer Morrison) and her son Henry live in Storybrooke, where they discover all the townsfolk are fairytale characters cursed to be displaced to the real world – including Emma, whose parents are Snow White (Ginnifer Goodwin) and Prince Charming (Josh Dallas.) Emma's destiny is to break the curse and return everyone's memories of their enchanted lives.
Captain Hook is a recurring, fan-favorite character on the series. Played by Colin O'Donoghue, Killian Jones/Captain Hook starts out as a roguish villain in season two before becoming Emma's charming romantic interest for the majority of the series' run. This Captain Hook is the definition of the "sexy villain" trope!
7 Tom Hiddleston - 'The Pirate Fairy'
Disney's animated Fairies films follow the adventures of Peter Pan's fairy Tinker Bell (Mae Whitman) and her fairy friends in Pixie Hollow. The Pirate Fairy follows Tink and her friends as they search for Zarina (Christina Hendricks,) a fairy who once lived in Pixie Hollow but has been taken in by a band of pirates. One of the pirates is young Captain James Hook (Tom Hiddleston,) posing as a lowly cabin boy.
Hiddleston's Hook is a more youthful incarnation of the pirate. He's wily and cunning enough to trick the fairies into stealing their fairy dust, but possesses a roguish charm that makes him somewhat sympathetic – not unlike so many other Hiddleston roles. Plus he sings, which is a treat!
6 Tim Curry - 'Peter Pan and the Pirates'
From Dr. Frank N. Furter to Pennywise, Tim Curry is tailor-made for villains. He also has experience playing pirates (Muppet Treasure Island) and cartoon voice acting (The Wild Thornberrys.) It's no shock at all to know that Curry provided the voice to Captain Hook in the Saturday morning cartoon Peter Pan and the Pirates.
The Captain Hook in this take on the story is even more cold and vicious than in Barrie's story. This Hook doesn't look like most other versions of the character (he has a white powdered wig rather than raven-black curls) and doesn't fear much, not even ticking clocks. Curry even won an Emmy for his voicework in the series, which only lasted for a year.
5 Jude Law - 'Peter Pan & Wendy'
Image via Disney
David Lowery's 2016 live-action remake of Disney's Pete's Dragon was a thoughtful, moody adventure grounding the whimsical fantasy in modern realism. Lowery's set to do it again with his new Disney+ Peter Pan and Wendy, adapting the Barrie story and adding welcome diversity to the cast.
Jude Law's Captain Hook is primed to be a more intense and bitingly sarcastic take on the classic villain. Despite the grimness of the initial looks at the character, Law's Hook is certain to be fun to watch as well as menacing. His sidekick Mr. Smee is played by comedian Jim Gaffigan, so great banter between the two is sure to abound.
4 Jason Isaacs - 'Peter Pan (2003)'
2003's big screen Peter Pan is a nostalgic film for many millennials. Though a box-office failure, this cinematic retelling of the story remains popular thanks to its excellent cast and romantic-leaning screenplay. Jeremy Sumpter's Peter Pan was a teen heartthrob, and standing in his way as Captain Hook is Jason Isaacs in very fine form.
Isaacs was already beloved for playing a villain in a family fantasy – Lucius Malfoy in Harry Potter– so his casting is inspired. Isaacs' Hook is grimy yet debonair, and genuinely terrifying to children. It's a portrayal hewing very close to Barrie's description of the pirate in the novel, and is all the more memorable because of it.
3 Hans Conried/Corey Burton - 'Walt Disney's Peter Pan'
Image via Disney
Disney’s animated adaptation of Peter Pan provided the world with some of the most easily-identifiable imagery relating to the story, especially its character designs. The Mouse House's interpretation of Captain Hook is one of the best-loved Disney Villains. Hans Conried voiced Hook in the 1953 film; in subsequent Disney projects such as Kingdom Hearts, Hook is voiced by Corey Burton.
RELATED: Disney's 10 Funniest Animated Movie Villains, Ranked
Disney's Hook is a more outrageously comic take on the character, oozing with vanity. Below the bloodlust and fabulous red coat, he's a coward deep down. Disney's Hook constantly faces a humorous end at the jaws of the crocodile (or tentacles of an octopus,) but always survives to fight Peter Pan another day.
2 Cyril Ritchard - 'Peter Pan' (NBC)
A TV movie of the popular 1954 Broadway musical, the 1955/1956/1960 screen version of Peter Pan is a faithful and fun adaptation of the Barrie play with classic songs. Recreating her Tony-winning performance, Mary Martin plays the boy who wouldn't grow up. Fellow Tony winner Cyril Ritchard reprises his onstage turn as Mr. Darling and Captain Hook in the TV movie as well.
Ritchard plays Hook as a mincing fop; as a result, his performace is enormously entertaining to watch. He performs Hook's specialty numbers with the relish of a cartoon villain. Having his stage performance preserved for posterity on a still-popular broadcast solidifies his Captain Hook as one of the most memorable.
1 Dustin Hoffman - 'Hook'
Screenwriter J.V. Hart's passion for Barrie's original version of Captain Hook – Eton scholar turned gentlemanly-yet-ruthless pirate – is on full display in Steven Spielberg's divisive but beloved 1991 film Hook. Robin Williams plays Peter Banning, an overworked lawyer who must travel to Never Land to save his children from the clutches of Captain Hook (Dustin Hoffman.) Along the way, Peter learns from the Lost Boys how to reconnect with his inner boy who never grows up and become Pan again.
Hoffman plays the pirate captain as if he's going through a midlife crisis that can only be solved by kidnapping the children of his mortal enemy. In a nod to his Eton education, he constantly calls out things as "good form" or "bad form," but isn't afraid to play dirty in duels. Hoffman's Hook is threatening and hilarious in equal measure, a memorable performance worthy of having the whole film named after his character.
NEXT: All 'Peter Pan' Movies, Ranked According to Rotten Tomatoes
Source: Collider
