Ridley Scott & Jackman Set Treasure Island Movie
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- Ridley Scott is on board to direct a new film adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson's 1883 novel Treasure Island, with Hugh Jackman attached to play Long John Silver, per Deadline.
- Jack Thorne, writer of Adolescence, penned the script and will executive produce; Scott and Michael Pruss are producing for Scott Free.
- 20th Century Studios got first look at the package but passed because the studio is a Disney division and Disney's live-action unit didn't want to compete with its own Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.
- The package is set to hit the market Monday with every major studio expected to be in the mix.
- 20th Century is still Scott's home studio and will release his next film The Dog Stars, based on Peter Heller's post-apocalyptic novel, this August.
- Treasure Island has sold more than 100 million copies worldwide and been translated into over 50 languages since its 1883 publication, making it one of the most enduring adventure novels ever written.
- The most recent big-screen adaptation was the 2002 animated sci-fi reimagining Treasure Planet, directed by John Musker and Ron Clements, with Joseph Gordon-Levitt voicing Jim Hawkins and Brian Murray as Long John Silver.
Why it matters: Disney's pass over internal franchise overlap effectively gives rival studios a clear shot at a prestige package — a Ridley Scott-directed, Jack Thorne-scripted period adventure anchored by a major A-lister — without competing against Disney's own *Pirates of the Caribbean* slate, while 20th Century retains its broader relationship with Scott via *The Dog Stars*.
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