LONDON (Reuters) - Peter Pan was the boy who would never grow old, but even the magical powers of Neverland can't stop time from running out on his copyright.So a British children's hospital which owns the rights to the story of Tinkerbell, Tiger Lily and the evil Captain Hook is searching for an author to write a sequel, to keep the money flowing when the copyright to the evergreen classic runs out.
In 1929, author JM Barrie donated the copyright to London's Great Ormond Street Hospital. The rights run out in Europe in 2007.
The story has been adapted into a Broadway musical, a classic Disney cartoon and other films, including a new Hollywood version last year. The hospital says the royalties are a "significant but confidential" source of income.
"The central theme might still encompass the eternal dilemma between the delights of childhood and the pathos of leaving it behind, yet be placed in a contemporary setting," the hospital said in a statement.
It has invited publishers to submit the names of established authors who will then have to write a synopsis and sample chapter.
"Peter Pan's centenary seems the right time to do this," said hospital chief executive Jane Collins, of the story which was first published in 1904. "We hope a sequel would bring as much pleasure as the original."
