Ridley Scott will never retire. He’s in it for the long haul, with around half a dozen projects in various stages of development. However, one has emerged as the clear priority and is currently being lined up as his next film.
A few weeks ago, Scott told Empire magazine that his adaptation of “Treasure Island,” starring Hugh Jackman, was his top priority—provided he could find a studio willing to finance it. It had been reported that 20th Century, which is backing Scott’s upcoming “The Dog Stars,” passed on the project.
Regardless, it looks like “Treasure Island” has now found a home—a studio willing to take a risk on yet another “epic” from Scott, who turns 89 later this year.
According to Deadline, Sony Pictures has landed the project, with Scott set to direct and Hugh Jackman attached to play the pirate Blackbeard. Jack Thorne, who is red-hot these days thanks to his work on the acclaimed Netflix series “Adolescence” and the upcoming “Lord of the Flies,” wrote the screenplay.
The rest of the ensemble joining Jackman will now be filled out, and I presume the project will be fast-tracked so it can arrive before Disney’s upcoming “Pirates of the Caribbean” reboot.
The story of “Treasure Island,” based on Robert Louis Stevenson’s 1883 adventure novel, follows young Jim Hawkins as he discovers a treasure map and embarks on a dangerous sea voyage that becomes a deadly contest of loyalty and deception with Long John Silver.
Will yet another iteration of “Treasure Island” be welcomed by the masses? Multiple studios reportedly had the opportunity to bid on the project, and the budget is unlikely to be minuscule. We’ll see how it goes.
As mentioned, Scott has “The Dog Stars” arriving in August, following his previous efforts, “Napoleon” and “Gladiator II,” each of which carried price tags north of $200 million and failed to make a significant impact critically or commercially. Scott also seems to have lost favor with critics, as his last true Oscar contender was “The Martian,” released nearly 11 years ago—although 2021’s “The Last Duel” remains an underrated gem in his filmography.
For Schrader, AI solves the curious practical filmmaking problem he had. How about just creating Black people? No casting calls, no agents, no actors turning down the roles.