THE HUNGER GAMES Director Gary Ross Signs on for Disney's PETER AND THE STARCATCHERS

The acclaimed children's book written by Pulitzer Prize winning author Dave Barry along with Ridley Pearson is getting a live-action feature film treatment under the Walt Disney Pictures banner.

In an evocative and fast-paced adventure on the high seas and on a faraway island, an orphan boy named Peter and his mysterious new friend, Molly, overcome bands of pirates and thieves in their quest to keep a fantastical secret safe and save the world from evil.

Award-winning authors Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson have turned back the clock and revealed a wonderful story that precedes J. M. Barrie's beloved Peter Pan. Peter and the Starcatchers is brimming with richly developed characters, from the scary but somehow familiar Black Stache and the ferocious Mister Grin to the sweet but sophisticated Molly and the fearless Peter. Page after page of riveting adventures take readers on a journey from a filthy, crime-ridden port in old England across the turbulent seas. Aboard the Never Land is a trunk that holds a magical substance that amazes -- just a sprinkle, and wounds heal; just a dusting, and people can fly.

Roiling seas and dangerous thunderstorms are the backdrop for battles at sea. Bone-crushing waves eventually land our characters on Prawn Island -- where the action really heats up.

Peter and the Starcatchers has been steadily increasing in popularity since it's release in 2004. This past year it was adapted into an Off-Broadway play that quickly moved to Broadway and earned five Tony Awards. Disney recently hired screenwriter Jesse Wigutow to adapt the book into a feature film.

It's now been revealed that the studio -- whose publishing arm is behind the entire series of novels -- has hired director Gary Ross to helm the project. Ross (Seabiscut) recently directed The Hunger Games adaptation which garnered over $680 million at the worldwide box office. There's no word yet when production may begin on Peter and the Starcatchers.