Hook, and how it became the Steven Spielberg film that Steven Spielberg doesn't like

Film Stories

Monday, 18 May 2026 - 1 hour 5 minutes

Steven Spielberg's 1991 movie Hook was supposed to be his perfect project. The director compared to Peter Pan, making the story of Peter Pan never growing up? What could go wrong?

Well, plenty. In this episode of Film Stories, Simon Brew charts the tale of how Spielberg lost control of Hook's production, how it became tied up with a major Hollywood acquistion, and why unexpected competition in the winter of 1991 didn't help its cause either.

Plus: why was Spielberg himself not keen?

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