The beloved fairy from Peter Pan is finally getting her own show, and Disney considers it a high-priority project for the streamer.
Tinker Bell is heading to Disney+ in a brand-new live-action drama series titled Tink, according to an exclusive report from Deadline. The project is in development through Disney’s 20th Television and is considered a major priority for the platform.
Writers Liz Heldens and Bridget Carpenter are attached to write and executive-produce the series. The two are longtime friends who previously worked together on the acclaimed drama Friday Night Lights. Gary Marsh, the former president and chief creative officer of Disney Branded Television, who departed that role in 2021, is also executive producing, along with Quinn Haberman of production company Selfish Mermaid.
“The studio has been plotting an updated version of the classic character for some time, and it is a major project for the streamer.”
A Character With a Long History at Disney. Tinker Bell made her Disney debut in the 1953 animated film Peter Pan, originally adapted from J.M. Barrie’s 1904 play. In the decades since, the character grew far beyond her supporting role. She became the face of the Wonderful World of Disney television franchise, appearing in the iconic wand-wave over Cinderella Castle that opened countless broadcasts. Today, she remains one of the most recognizable figures in the Disney brand, trailing only Mickey Mouse in cultural reach.
Between 2008 and 2015, Tinker Bell anchored her own direct-to-video animated film franchise, beginning with Tinker Bell and spanning five sequels that explored her life in Pixie Hollow before the events of Peter Pan. That series gave the traditionally silent character a full voice and personality for the first time, building a devoted fanbase. Her most recent live-action appearance came in 2023, when Black-ish star Yara Shahidi played the role in the Disney+ film Peter Pan and Wendy.
A Decade in Development Hell. The road to this series has been anything but pixie-dust smooth. Disney first announced a live-action Tink feature in 2010 as a fish-out-of-water romantic comedy, with Elizabeth Banks attached to star. That version never made it out of development. In 2015, the studio announced a fresh take with Reese Witherspoon set to star and produce. That project also stalled, later shifting from a theatrical film to a Disney+ movie with Witherspoon still producing and a new screenplay in the works. After Shahidi was cast in Peter Pan and Wendy, the status of the Witherspoon project grew uncertain.
The new series represents a complete retooling of the concept, moving away from the feature-film model entirely and toward a prestige-drama format for streaming. No casting has been announced, and no release window has been shared at this stage.
The Creative Team Behind It. Heldens brings a deep television resume to the project. In addition to her work on Friday Night Lights, she created NBC’s medical drama Mercy, ABC crime drama Deception, and Fox’s sci-fi thriller The Passage. She also served as an executive producer on The Orville and Hulu’s The Dropout, and she is currently co-showrunner on ABC’s Will Trent, now in its fourth season.
Carpenter’s credits include Only Murders in the Building, Parenthood, Westworld, and the Stephen King miniseries 11.22.63. She is also a produced playwright, with work staged at Steppenwolf Theatre Company, The Public Theater, and Berkeley Repertory Theatre, among others.
The combination of a drama-focused creative team and Disney’s stated commitment to the project as a high priority suggests this version of Tink is being positioned as something more substantial than the family-friendly fare audiences might expect from the character’s animated legacy. Details about tone, casting, and story direction remain under wraps.
