Allison Williams Cast as Peter Pan in NBC Live Musical

Allison Williams is your new Peter Pan.

The "Girls" star has been cast in NBC's live musical production of the classic Peter Pan stage show opposite Christopher Walken as Captain Hook.

Williams, who shot to fame on "Girls" as Marnie Michaels, also starred in a hit viral video singing the "Mad Men" theme song, has appeared in "The Mindy Project" and is the daughter of "NBC Nightly News" anchor Brian Williams.

"I have wanted to play Peter Pan since I was about three years old, so this is a dream come true," Williams said in a statement. "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?"

NBC announced the news on Twitter, tweeting: "Dreams do come true! #Girls star Allison Williams will play Peter Pan in #PeterPanLive!"

"We couldn't be happier that Allison Williams is our Peter Pan," NBC boss Robert Greenblatt said in a statement. "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."

Greenblatt told reporters that NBC had meetings with "Veronica Mars" star Kristen Bell about taking on the iconic role, but she could not commit to the planned schedule.

"What's been hard is we've actually had several women," Greenblatt said, "who wanted to do it but they're either busy or can't fit it in to their schedules. Because I need that person from Aug. 5 to Dec. 5. And so that knocks out the Kristen Bells of the world, who is someone I talked to about doing it. But she's doing 'House of Lies.'"

Smash and "The Sound of Music Live!" producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron are behind NBC's Peter Pan telecast. The original Broadway production of "Peter Pan," based on the book by J.M. Barrie, was directed and choreographed by Jerome Robbins.

"Allison Williams is a major find," Zadan and Meron said in a statement. "She will reinvent the iconic role of Peter Pan with her wit, her warmth, her dynamic flying and her wonderful musical abilities. The score will be sung beautifully and introduced to a whole new generation of families."


"Peter Pan Live!" comes to NBC on Thursday, Dec. 4.

(E! and NBC are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)

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