Why were the names changed in the final draft of The Lost Boys which refered to characters from Peter Pan's story?
From the IMDb page for The Lost Boys:
In the first draft of the script, the character of David was originally named Peter, and other characters also had names from the Peter Pan story. In the final draft, many name changes were made, but originally the two brothers were Michael and John (which was later changed to Sam) and the mother's name was Wendy.
But what was the reason for the character name changes in the final draft? Was it ever stated by officials?
Best Answer
TL;DR: The names were most likely updated to remove any whimsical tone of the characters.
As others have commented, the names may have been changed to avoid copyright issues with Peter Pan. However, it's important to note that the overall tone of the film changed drastically between re-writes of the script, and the names were probably updated to reflect this.
The original script was intended as a G-rated film in the vein of "Goonies" or "The Monster Squad" - a family-friendly movie inspired by the idea of Peter Pan as a vampire. When Joel Schumacher replaced Richard Donner as director, he reportedly hated that idea and wanted the movie to be more of a sexy, coming-of-age horror film. He brought on writer Jeffrey Boam to heavily modify the script, and it's likely at this point that the names were changed.
Within that context, the changes make sense. The entire film was given a darker, more biblical context (David's body enshrined in light at the end, for example). Rather than a "cutesy" gang of immortal children, Schumacher envisioned the vampires as more akin to the gangs of 1979's "The Warriors". The soundtrack originally called for Madonna songs (whereas Goonies used Cyndi Lauper), and that was obviously updated to more of a heavy metal "hairband" sound. And so forth.
Richard Donner left the project to make seminal action flick "Lethal Weapon", and the resulting version of "The Lost Boys" has become a classic vampire movie. As moviegoers, I'd say we were definitely the winners in this particular instance.
Note: In addition to the facts on that IMDb trivia page you linked to, there are also some additional trivia tidbits on the page below, posted in celebration of the film's 25th anniversary.
Pictures about "Why were the names changed in the final draft of The Lost Boys which refered to characters from Peter Pan's story?"
How did Lost Boys get their name?
Most just six or seven years old, they fled to Ethiopia to escape death or induction into the northern army. They walked more than a thousand miles, half of them dying before reaching Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya. The survivors of this tragic exodus became known as the Lost Boys of Sudan.Why is Peter Pan The only lost boy that can fly?
The lost boys are never seen to fly, even when it would make sense (or be very fun) so we must assume they are incapable. The most likely reason is that Tinkerbell is unwilling to give them pixie dust. Peter is the only one who gets it, and he's decided that's the way it should be - he's the leader.Is Peter Pan a vampire?
Peter, later revealed to be the Alpha Vampire, is the main antagonist of Lost Boys: The Thirst. As a vampire, his blood was used as part of a drug called The Thirst.Who Is Slightly in Peter Pan?
He was played by 14-year-old Noel Coward \u2013 who went on to be a very famous writer and actor \u2013 in 1913 and 1914. He was played by Theodore Chester \u2013 who hasn't become quite that famous \u2013 in the 2003 film. In the 1953 Disney movie he wears a fox suit, and Disney sometimes calls him "Foxy"; he was voiced by Stuffy Singer.The Untold Truth Of The Lost Boys
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Answer 2
Considering that "The Lost Boys" is what Peter Pan calls all of the boys in Neverland, and the fact that vampires don't age, I think literally naming all of the characters after characters in Peter Pan would have ended in a lawsuit. Do I have factual knowledge of that? No. But I know a little about Intellectual Property and can guarantee that would have ended in litigation.
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Images: Enoch Patro, cottonbro, Pok Rie, Pixabay