Melissa McCarthy has just landed the smallest role of her career! According to a report at Deadline, the Tammy star is set to play Tinker Bell in upcoming, still untitled, comedy from director Shawn Levy (Real Steel, Night at the Museum).
Plot specifics have not yet been revealed, but the project is said to have originated with Levy, who then fleshed out the idea with McCarthy before turning the material over to screenwriter Nicholas Stoller. Stoller, best known for directing this year’s comedy hit Neighbors, also wrote recent features like Muppets Most Wanted and Sex Tape.
Created by J.M. Barrie for 1904’s “Peter Pan,” Tink, quite likely the world’s most famous fairy, was originally played onstage by nothing more than a miniature spotlight (Think of it as an early foray into performance capture technology). She’s best known today, however, for the animated Walt Disney version that first appeared in the studio’s 1953 feature Peter Pan. Tink is now the focus of her own direct-to-DVD animated franchise with the latest adventure, Tinker Bell and the Legend of the Never Beast recently announced to hit shelves on March 3, 2015.
Disney was planning their own live-action take on the character some years ago with Tink, a romantic comedy that had Elizabeth Banks in the lead and boasted a screenplay by Elizabeth Wright Shapiro. It’s been a few years since we’ve heard any updates on Tink, however, so that particular project is not likely to move forward anytime soon.
Levy and McCarthy are both set to produce the new Tinker Bell comedy through their 21 Laps and On the Day, respectively.
