In 1983, as Thriller was taking the world by storm, word leaked to the press that Jackson and Steven Spielberg were planning a Peter Pan musical. Jackson was not only expected to play the lead, but also to contribute many of the songs and help develop the story. The idea was, in Spielberg’s words, “to create a live-action version of the animated Walt Disney film, one as fanciful and spectacular as the cartoon but more faithful to the Barrie play.”
Over the ensuing year or so, Jackson developed at least four songs with writer-producer Buz Kohan for the film: “Neverland Landing,” “Happy Song,” “I’m Peter Pan,” and “Make a Wish.” “He had a depth of instinct,” recalled Kohan. “He knew orchestration, he knew what he wanted to hear. For one of the songs, he had a thirty-piece orchestra come to the studio. He really wanted to express his vision for the piece before he sent it to [Steven] Spielberg.” Spielberg later told Jackson that he used the songs to put his newborn son, Max, to bed at night. Unfortunately, the film never materialized, due to scheduling conflicts in the 1980s and creative differences in the 1990s. As yet, none of these songs has been officially released.