Comedian Jim Gaffigan will portray the pirate Mr. Smee in Disney's upcoming live-action movie Peter Pan and Wendy. Captain Hook's first mate, Mr. Smee was previously voiced by Bill Thompson in the animated Disney movie and played by Bob Hoskins in the previous live-action adaptation Hook. Gaffigan's casting was first reported at TheWrap, and the comedian has seemingly confirmed his involvement by retweeting the news.

Jim Gaffigan will be joining Jude Law, whose casting as Captain Hook has already been announced. When it comes to the titular characters, Alexander Molony (The Reluctant Landlord) will play Peter Pan with Ever Anderson, Paul W. S. Anderson and Milla Jovovich's daughter, co-starring as Wendy. The movie will also star Yara Shahidi (Black-ish, Grown-ish) as Tinker Bell and Alyssa Wapanatâhk as Tiger Lily. David Lowery Pete's Dragon directs using a screenplay co-written with Toby Halbrooks, and Jim Whitaker and Joe Roth produce.

Based on the original 1904 play by J. M. Barrie, the most well-known Peter Pan adaptation is the animated movie originally released by Disney in 1953. The classic tale follows a group of children who meet Peter Pan, a magical boy who transports them to the island of Never Land, where they are pursued by the villainous Captain Hook and his band of pirates. A sequel, Return to Never Land, would later be released in 2002 with Tinker Bell also starring in a series of her own solo movies.

With Peter Pan reigning as one of Disney's most popular classic movies, it was just a matter of time before it was given the live-action treatment. Remakes of animated Disney movies have been coming out rapidly over the past few years, from Beauty and the Beast and Cinderella to Aladdin and The Lion King. Although many of these movies have drawn mixed opinions from Disney fans, they've largely been very successful at the box office, so it's not surprising to see the company head back to the well for more classic properties to remake.

Another big remake in the works is The Little Mermaid. Directed by Rob Marshall, the live-action reimagining of the animated movie will star Halle Bailey as Ariel with the cast also including Daveed Diggs as Sebastian, Awkwafina as Scuttle, Jonah Hauer-King as Prince Eric, Jacob Tremblay as Flounder, Javier Bardem as King Triton, and Melissa McCarthy as Ursula the Sea Witch. The project is currently in production and a release date hasn't yet been set.

Gaffigan is best known for his stand-up work, though he has acted in a variety of roles on the big and small screens. He co-created and starred in The Jim Gaffigan Show, a sitcom that aired for two seasons on TV Land. He has also appeared in movies like Tesla, Most Wanted, and American Dreamer and had roles in the TV shows That '70s Show, Porlandia, and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. He has also been cast as Thunderbolt in The CW's Stargirl series.

Peter Pan & Wendy will debut on Disney+ when it arrives, but an exact release date hasn't yet been revealed. News of Gaffigan's casting as Mr. Smee comes to us from TheWrap.