Keira Knightley has joined the cast of Syfy”s four-hour “Neverland” as the voice of Tinker Bell.


A prequel to J.M. Barrie”s classic “Peter Pan,” “Neverland” is being written and directed by Nick Willing, and will air on Syfy in December 2011. 


Willing seems to have cornered the market on made-for-TV re-imaginings of classic tales. Among others, he’s worked on 1999’s “Alice in Wonderland,” 2000’s “Jason and the Argonauts” and SyFy’s 2007 mini “Tin Man” with Zooey Deschanel. 


Other castmembers headed to “Neverland” include Rhys Ifans (as “Jimmy” Hook), Anna Friel, Bob Hoskins, and Charlie Rowe as a young Peter Pan.


The TV movie follows Peter and his Dickensian pickpocket pals who are magically transported to the mystical forests of Neverland. There, they meet Tinkerbell, a holy man, pirates (the press release points out that they are indeed “of the Caribbean”) and others as they fight to save their new home.
The Oscar-nominated Knightley (last seen in “Never Let Me Go”) will record her voice role this spring.
In addition to early roles on Brit TV, Knightley appeared in the U.K. miniseries “Doctor Zhivago” in 2002 and, earlier, in the U.S. TV movie “Princess of Thieves” (in which she stars as Robin Hood’s daughter). “Neverland,” however, is her first foray into U.S. television since becoming a major star.


The Oscar-nominated Knightley (last seen in “Never Let Me Go“) will record her voice role this spring.
She will next appear in David Cronenberg’s “A Dangerous Method,” alongside Viggo Mortensen.