On paper, 'Pan' sounds like the kind of movie you'd have to drag us to kicking and screaming, but since the production keeps on adding talented people like Rooney Mara to the cast, it's getting more and more difficult to ignore.

According to Variety, Mara will play the role of Tiger Lily in the epic reinvention of the 'Peter Pan' story (which is being planned as an epic franchise, of course). The actress, who scored an Oscar nomination for her turn in 'The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo' and stole scenes in 'The Social Network,' joins a cast that already includes the likes of Hugh Jackman (always a good thing) as Blackbeard and Garrett Hedlund (a good thing under the right circumstances) as Captain Hook.

The film follows a young orphan named Peter (still uncast) who finds himself abducted by pirates during World War II and brought to Neverland, where he battles the pirate Blackbeard. So, yeah, it's a Peter Pan origin story. They might as well call it 'Peter Pan Begins.'

But the talent isn't just in front of the camera. Joe Wright is sitting in the director's chair and the thought of the guy behind 'Atonement' and 'Hanna' making a big fantasy spectacle that's being compared to 'Harry Potter' and 'The Lord of the Rings' has us interested. If he's on board and can convince an actress as good as Mara that the film is worth her time, then we'll wipe away our cynicism for a little while.

'Pan' is set to arrive in theaters on July 17, 2015.

More From 106.5 WYRK