Author Robert Louis Stevenson‘s classic pirate tale “Treasure Island” is getting the series treatment from MGM+ and Paramount+ (in association with FIFTH SEASON and produced by Playground), with quite a group of high-profile actors assembled for it.
The impressive lineup enlisted for the pirate series features David Oyelowo (“Selma,” “Silo”) starring as Long John Silver, Hayley Atwell (“Agent Carter,” “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning”) as Bess Hawkins, Jack Huston (“Boardwalk Empire,” “Spider-Noir”) as Aaron Graham, Tomer Capone (“The Boys,” “Fauda”) as Billy Bones, and Tom Sweet (“Great Expectations,” “Childhood of a Leader”) as Jim Hawkins.
A six-part series, “Treasure Island” was created for television by Robert Murphy (“Vera,” “Shetland”), and will be directed by Jeremy Lovering (“Slow Horses,” “The One”), William McGregor (“The Buccaneers,” “Lockwood & Co.,” “His Dark Materials”), and Paul Walker (“Shameless,” “Riviera,” “Hunting Alice Bell”) with Mark Hedges serving as producer.
An official synopsis for the show was shared with us for the new series:
“Treasure Island” is a bold, high-stakes coming-of-age adventure series for a new generation, charting the transformation of teenager Jim Hawkins from sheltered boy to emboldened young pirate. When Jim gets his hands on a legendary treasure map, his mother Bess’s clever and decisive actions leave him holding valuable knowledge that puts both of their lives in danger. Sailing aboard The Hispaniola, Jim and Bess are caught between the charming, terrifying pirate Long John Silver and the debonair, duplicitous British agent Aaron Graham. Jim must grow up fast as he and his mother fight for survival on a voyage where alliances shift, secrets multiply, and peril closes in from all sides. Set across the Atlantic, in a Caribbean on the brink of revolution and on the terrifying Skeleton Island, the series tracks Jim as he confronts a world far more complex and dangerous than he ever imagined, where resilience, loyalty, and identity are tested – and fortune is the prize.
We’re reminded that the last time audiences saw the pirate Long John Silver on the small screen was in the series “Black Sails,” and “Treasure Island” even got the puppet treatment with a feature film involving “The Muppets.”
Christopher Marc is lead writer at The Playlist and the primary engine behind our daily news coverage. Chris is based in Canada and tracks everything from Marvel and Star Wars developments to arthouse acquisitions and festival buzz with equal enthusiasm and an instinct for the story readers actually want to read.
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