But even for this dynamic duo,the quest to bring the musical "Peter Pan" to the small screen has been an epic 15-year journey with more than one detour to Neverland.

"And like Peter Pan, we've stayed the same age all this time and never grown up," quips Meron.

Last week, their perseverance paid off when the last lingering rights issues with the estate of composer Jules Styne, Betty Comden and Adolph Green and Jerome Robbins were finally resolved, clearing the way for the Sony Pictures Television Production.

The musical rendition of James M. Barrie's boy-who-never-grows-up fairy tale, made famous on the Rialto by Mary Martin, has never been made into a movie. Zadan and Meron's pursuit of the project began in 1993, the day after they triumphed with their CBS rendition of Styne's "Gypsy," starring Bette Midler. Styne himself suggested "Pan" when he called the duo to gush about how impressed he was with their "Gypsy."

ABC bought the project many moons ago, but rights issues kept derailing its momentum. ABC programming execs recommitted to the project about two years ago, in the same pitch meeting where Zadan and Meron sold them their vision for a telepic adaptation of the 2004 Broadway revival of "A Raisin in the Sun," which scored for the net during last month's airing.

Now that the last hurdles have been removed, Zadan and Meron are determined to recruit a top director and high-wattage stars for the Pan and Captain Hook roles.

If all goes well, "Peter Pan" could go before the cameras by year's end.

Meanwhile, Zadan and Meron are eagerly awaiting Emmy season in the fall with high hopes for nods for "Raisin" and its stars, including Sean Combs and Phylicia Rashad. "Raisin's" success last month in drawing 12.7 million viewers on the night after the Oscar telecast was a particularly tough feat complicated by the fact that the writers strike made it virtually impossible to tubthump the project on the regular TV outlets.

Instead, the three-hour drama relied on the buzz it generated at the Sundance Film Festival -- where it became the first made-for to screen as part of the fest, to a standing ovation by the cineastes -- and its generally glowing reviews. "Raisin," also from Sony Pictures TV, will gets its second wind as a DVD to be released May 13.