‘Treasure Island’: Hugh Jackman, Ridley Scott & Jack Thorne Team For New Take On Classic Pirate Tale

After a high-profile streaming series is coming together based on Robert Louis Stevenson‘s classic public domain story “Treasure Island,” a new high-profile feature film is heading to auction as well. This new movie has director Ridley Scott, actor Hugh Jackman, and Emmy-winning “Adolescence” writer Jack Thorne getting together for this new movie iteration after 20th Century Studios reportedly passed on it after getting first dibs (due to their long-standing working relationship with Scott and his production company Scott Free) on taking a look at it before other studios but reportedly ultimately didn’t want to touch it due to parent company Disney already trying to get a new “Pirates of the Caribbean” installment going (then again, they released “Pan” with Jackman not too long ago, so we don’t know if that narrative makes much sense).

As pointed out by Deadline in their report, Jackman will play the iconic pirate Long John Silver in this “new take,” who is trying to get his hands on a large trove of buried treasure and uses a young cabin boy Jim Hawkins (who discovers the treasure map) to accomplish that mission after befriending him (Jim has to grow up quickly, learning that adults can be deceiving and manipulative). Traditionally, the story has been told from Hawkins’ perspective as he’s the main protagonist.

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Scott and Michael Pruss are set to produce via Scott Free, with executive producer Throne providing the film’s script. It’s unclear who will play Jim in the film, but there are plenty of actors who could end up vying for the co-lead part. Thorne recently tackled “The Lord of the Files” for Netflix, so he isn’t a stranger to adapting these kinds of beloved stories, and Jackman is coming off playing the legendary British bandit in A24‘s upcoming “The Death of Robin Hood” along with playing Captain Hook in David Lowery‘s “Pan” for Disney.

Of course, period movies like “Treasure Island” are in Scott’s wheelhouse, his film “Napoleon” starring Joaquin Phoenix, along with his two “Gladiator” movies exploring fictional events during the Roman Empire, his Moses pic “Exodus: Gods & Kings,” his underrated crusade drama “Kingdom of Heaven,” and he also tackled his own version of Robin Hood with Russell Crowe in the role.

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Unclear where the project is going to land, and the report doesn’t mention any frontrunners or other suitors, after 20th Century Studios/Disney took themselves out of the race. There is a good chance, in our opinion, that the real reason 20th Century Studios passed on the movie is that Disney likely wants to keep the door open to do a live-action version of “Treasure Planet,” their 2002 animated sci-fi take on the material (Disney raiding their animation library for endless hit-or-miss live-action remakes), and doesn’t want to confuse audiences by making “Treasure Island,” alongside it.