NBC announced early Wednesday morning that "Girls" star Allison Williams was cast as Peter Pan in their upcoming live production. She will star alongside Christopher Walken, who will play Captain Hook.
"We couldn't be happier that Allison Williams is our Peter Pan," said Robert Greenblatt, chairman at NBC Entertainment. "She's a lovely rising star on the award-winning show 'Girls' - where she occasionally shows off her incredible vocal talent - and we think she will bring the perfect blend of 'boyish' vulnerability and bravado to save the day against Christopher Walken's powerful Captain Hook."
"Peter Pan" will be NBC's second attempt at a live production; last December the network ran the "Sound of Music" starring Carrie Underwood. According to The Hollywood Reporter, "Sound of Music" brought in an impressive 18.6 million views but critics were less than impressed with Underwood's performance.
The country singer was heavily criticized for her acting abilities, or lack thereof, and it seems a large majority of people are already doubting the networks decision to cast Williams as the lead.
"Allison Williams does nothing for me... Allison Williams does nothing for everyone," @tylercoates tweeted.
"NBC casts Allison Williams as Peter Pan. Maybe they can find a guest role for Brian [Williams]," @poniewozik posted. (Williams is the daughter of NBC "Nightly News" anchor Brian Williams).
"Of all the talented people in the universe NBC chose Allison Williams to play Peter pan in #PeterPanLive... WUT," @kiranedelstein wrote.
Despite the premature criticism, the 26-year-old actress is excited about playing Peter Pan and told The Hollywood Reporter that it was "a dream come true."
"I have wanted to play Peter Pan since I was about three years old, so this is a dream come true," Williams said. "It's such an honor to be a part of this adventure, and I'm very excited to get to work with this extraordinarily talented team."
"And besides, what could go wrong in a live televised production with simultaneous flying, sword fighting and singing?" she added.
"Peter Pan" will broadcast live Dec. 4 on NBC.
