Hugh Jackman to lead Ridley Scott’s historical epic reboot as project gets the go-ahead

Ridley Scott might just have the hardest work ethic in Hollywood, regardless of age. He turns 89 this November, not that you’d know it from his current schedule. Instead of slowing down, he’s busy juggling at least half a dozen projects — all while out doing promo for The Dog Stars, his new Jacob Elordi apocalypse thriller. Oh, and he shot that one in just 34 days, which has basically become his trademark at this point.

As usual, Scott isn’t hanging about waiting for one film to come out before lining up the next. His next big one? Treasure Island, apparently, and the real question till now has been which studio would cough up the money. That’s sorted: Sony Pictures is deep in talks to bankroll it, with Scott directing and Hugh Jackman lined up for Long John Silver.

The new version will mark the first major cinematic outing for Jim Hawkins and co in nearly a generation.

New Crew for the Hispaniola

For those who don’t remember their school reading lists, Robert Louis Stevenson’s 1883 novel pretty much set the template for every pirate you’ve ever seen, right down to the talking parrot and treasure maps. Young Jim Hawkins stumbles onto a map, signs onto a treasure hunt, and slowly catches on that the chatty ship’s cook, Long John Silver, has a lot more edge than he lets on. Silver’s about as slippery as villains get, and Jackman isn’t a daft choice. He did the pirate thing before as Blackbeard in Pan, and if nothing else, can switch from charming to nasty in half a heartbeat.

Not that this is the first time anyone’s adapted Treasure Island — it’s been filmed or rebooted more times than I’d care to count. We’ve had it the Disney way, with Muppets, in space (Treasure Planet), and on TV. But, weirdly, it’s been ages since a proper big-budget movie tackled it, so there’s actually a whole crop of moviegoers who’ve never seen this lot on the big screen.

Pirate Curses and Big Bets

Here’s the awkward bit: Scott’s recent epics haven’t exactly showered their backers with gold. Napoleon and the upcoming Gladiator II both sailed past the $200 million mark and, let’s not spin it, struggled at the box office. Treasure Island won’t be any more affordable — if anything, filming period ships with a tonne of digital water isn’t for the tight-fisted. And Hollywood’s track record with pirate movies? Properly chequered. Cutthroat Island famously helped put Carolco Pictures out of business in the '90s, and the whole pirate genre went into exile until Pirates of the Caribbean made it bankable again.

• Sony is moving ahead with Scott’s version, starring Jackman
• Disney has its own Pirates of the Caribbean reboot bubbling away
• A separate streaming series based on Stevenson is being developed

All this means there’s a bit of a gold rush to be first out the gate with a new pirate hit. Scott does, at least, have a very solid script from Jack Thorne (recent Emmy winner and writer of 2024’s Lord of the Flies), so it’s not just a spectacle gamble — it’s got some pedigree on the page, too.