Sony in talks to acquire Ridley Scott and Hugh Jackman’s Treasure Island
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Ridley Scott and Hugh Jackman's long-in-development adaptation of "Treasure Island" has found a home at Sony Pictures, which is in talks to acquire the project. Scott is set to direct from a screenplay by Jack Thorne, the co-creator of "Adolescence", with Jackman attached to star, marking a high-profile pairing of a veteran auteur and a leading Hollywood star on a classic literary property.
Robert Louis Stevenson's novel, first serialised in the 1880s, follows young cabin boy Jim Hawkins as he hunts for buried treasure and clashes with the duplicitous pirate Long John Silver. It has been adapted many times before, including a 1934 talkie with Jackie Cooper and Lionel Barrymore, Disney's 1950 version, the 1996 comedy "Muppet Treasure Island" with Tim Curry, and the 2002 animated space reimagining "Treasure Planet". Scott will also produce alongside Michael Pruss via Scott Free, and is next due in cinemas with "Dog Stars" on 28 August, while Jackman recently appeared in "The Death of Robin Hood" and previously played Blackbeard in "Pan".
- Sony in talks to acquire Scott and Jackman's "Treasure Island" film
- Ridley Scott to direct Jack Thorne's script, Jackman to star
- Latest of many adaptations of Stevenson's 1880s pirate classic
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Ridley Scott is a veteran British director known for films such as Alien, Blade Runner and Gladiator, while Hugh Jackman is an Australian actor best known for playing Wolverine in the X-Men films. The two are now teaming up on a new film version of Treasure Island, the 1883 pirate adventure novel by Robert Louis Stevenson, in a deal with Sony Pictures.
Treasure Island follows a young boy who comes into possession of a map leading to buried pirate gold, setting off on a sea voyage where he crosses paths with the ship's cook, Long John Silver, a memorable and morally ambiguous pirate. The book has been adapted for the screen many times before, including a 1950 Disney version and the family-friendly Muppet Treasure Island in 1996.
This new production matters because it pairs a director with a long track record of large-scale, visually ambitious filmmaking with a major Hollywood star, suggesting a bigger-budget, more dramatic take on a story usually associated with family entertainment. The screenplay is being written by Jack Thorne, a writer known for stage and screen work including His Dark Materials.
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Originally published by The Hollywood Reporter as “Ridley Scott, Hugh Jackman’s ‘Treasure Island’ Setting Sail to Sony”.