Matthew Morrison is transforming himself into J.M. Barrie — the role formerly played by Johnny Depp in Finding Neverland.
The Glee star is set to hit the stage next month in the musical adaptation of the 2004 film, which is about events in Barrie’s life that led to the basis for the author’s most iconic work, Peter Pan.
Morrison has some big shoes to fill: Depp’s performance in the film was so good he was nominated for a best actor Oscar. He starred alongside Academy Award winner Kate Winslet, who played Sylvia Davies, the mother of the boys who were the inspiration for the Peter Pan stories. Laura Michelle Kelly plays her in the musical.
Here’s a first look at Morrison and Kelly in their Neverland roles, as shot by famed photog Annie Leibovitz for the March issue of Vogue:
Annie Leibovitz/VOGUE
And here’s Depp and Winslet in the same roles in the film version:
Miramax Films
“That was when he lost his boyhood—he had to grow up at that moment—and it’s so inspiring to see him, as an adult, discovering the spark of creation and imagination and play that he never got to experience growing up,” Morrison tells Vogue about how a six-year old Barrie, after the death of his beloved older brother, first came up with the idea of Neverland. “It’s funny—he writes a play about a boy who won’t grow up, and grows up himself in the process.”
Annie Leibovitz/VOGUE
