‘Treasure Island’ Set as Ridley Scott’s Next Epic, With Hugh Jackman, and Possibly Jacob Elordi in the Mix

A major package is currently bring shopped around to studios, with significant talent involved. Ridley Scott is set to direct “Treasure Island,” based on Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic novel, with Hugh Jackman attached to star as pirate Long John Silver. The screenplay is written by Jack Thorne (“Adolescence”).

This is presumably the same “pirate movie” he has been referring to that he wants Jacob Elordi to star in as well. If Jackman is Long John Silver, the assumption is that Elordi would play a slightly older Jim Hawkins? Who knows. There was no mention of Elordi’s involvement in today’s announcement, possibly because it may depend on whether he is cast as the next James Bond or not.

Will yet another iteration of “Treasure Planet” generate strong interest? Multiple studios are being offered the chance to bid on the project. The budget will surely not be miniscule. We’ll see how it goes.

However, one studio that has passed on it is 20th Century, which ultimately declined despite its relationship with Scott, which includes the upcoming “The Dog Stars.” A source connected to the studio claims this is because Disney is currently prioritizing a reboot of its own pirate franchise, “Pirates of the Caribbean.”

The story itself, based on Stevenson’s 1883 adventure, follows young Jim Hawkins discovering a treasure map and embarking on a dangerous sea voyage that becomes a deadly contest of loyalty and deception with Long John Silver.

This project follows Scott’s “Napoleon” and “Gladiator II,” each carrying price tags north of $200 million, and both failing to light up the box office. The filmmaker also seems to have lost favor with critics, as his last true Oscar contender was “The Martian,” released almost 11 years ago—although 2021’s “The Last Duel” is considered an underrated gem in his canon.

Will “Treasure Island” be Scott’s next film? It’s quite possible, but at 88, he only has so many left, and with eight projects in various stages of development, it’s anybody’s guess what might be next. “Treasure Island” joins his World War I adaptation of John Harris’s “Covenant with Death,” “Gladiator III,” the Bee Gees biopic, the Western “Freewalkers,” “Bomb,” “Battle of Britain,” and the Wall Street thriller “Big Dogs.”

In total, that’s eight projects that Scott is currently working on. He’s obviously not going to direct all of these films unless he’s still healthy and active at 120 years old, but there’s definitely a lot of work ahead for him.