Alison Williams, the actress best-known as Marnie Michaels on the Emmy-nominated HBO comedy series Girls, has been cast as the lead in NBC’s upcoming presentation Peter Pan Live on December 4. She will star opposite Christopher Walken, who was previously announced as Captain Hook.

“I have wanted to play Peter Pan since I was about three years old, so this is a dream come true,” said Williams. “It’s such an honor to be a part of this adventure, and I’m very excited to get to work with this extraordinarily talented team. And besides, what could go wrong in a live televised production with simultaneous flying, sword fighting and singing?”

Peter Pan Live is a follow-up to the network’s Sound of Music Live which aired last year and starred Carrie Underwood as Maria Von Trapp, drawing in just over 18.6 million viewers. With numbers like that, it’s no surprise the network would schedule another musical event for 2014.

“We couldn’t be happier that Allison Williams is our Peter Pan,” said Robert Greenblatt, NBC Entertainment chairman. “She’s a lovely rising star on the award-winning show Girls — where she occasionally shows off her incredible vocal talent — and we think she will bring the perfect blend of ‘boyish’ vulnerability and bravado to save the day against Christopher Walken’s powerful Captain Hook.”

Producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron are back this year after their involvement in The Sound of Music Live, and the Broadway veterans have nothing but praise for their new lead. “Allison Williams is a major find,” said the pair.

The casting of Williams comes just two weeks after it was reported the network was unsuccessful in securing Kristen Bell for the role, as scheduling conflicts prevented the Frozen star from accepting the job. Williams is not someone most would consider a household name and her involvement in the high-profile event has led some to accuse the network of simple nepotism. Her father is Brian Williams, managing editor and anchor of NBC Nightly News.

But Zadan and Meron are optimistic she will make the character her own. “She will reinvent the iconic role of Peter Pan with her wit, her warmth, her dynamic flying and her wonderful musical abilities. The score will be sung beautifully and introduced to a whole new generation of families.”