Hugh Jackman’s Next Big Role? Ridley Scott’s ‘Treasure Island’ Finds a Potential Home at Sony

Sony Pictures is reportedly in negotiations to land Ridley Scott’s highly anticipated Treasure Island, with Hugh Jackman set to play the legendary pirate Long John Silver.

Hugh Jackman may be trading Wolverine’s claws for a cutlass.

The Oscar-nominated actor is attached to star as Long John Silver in Ridley Scott’s ambitious new adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island, and the project could soon have a major Hollywood studio behind it.

Sources indicate that Sony Pictures is in negotiations to acquire the package, potentially giving Scott and Jackman the green light for one of the filmmaker’s next major projects.

The deal has not been finalized, and Sony has declined to comment on the negotiations.

Ridley Scott Sets His Sights on a Pirate Epic

Ridley Scott reportedly became convinced that Treasure Island would be his next film after reading Jack Thorne’s new screenplay.

Jack Thorne, whose recent work includes the acclaimed Netflix series Adolescence, has developed a fresh interpretation of Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic adventure story.

Scott will direct and produce the movie alongside Michael Pruss through Scott Free, with Thorne also executive producing.

The package reportedly attracted interest from several studios, but Sony emerged as a particularly strong contender.

The potential Sony deal also makes sense given Scott’s long-standing relationship with studio chief Tom Rothman, who previously backed several of the director’s projects during his time at 20th Century Fox.

Why Disney Passed on ‘Treasure Island’

One of the more intriguing twists in the project’s journey is that Ridley Scott’s longtime studio home, 20th Century, reportedly passed on the film.

The decision apparently had little to do with Scott or the material.

Because 20th Century operates under Disney, the studio was reluctant to pursue another major pirate movie while Disney’s live-action division continues to prioritize its Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.

That opened the door for other studios, and Sony now appears to be moving aggressively to secure the project.

If completed, the deal would reunite Ridley Scott with a studio that has supported several of his recent films, including All the Money in the World and Napoleon.

Hugh Jackman as Long John Silver

For Jackman, the role represents another dramatic transformation.

The actor has played some of cinema’s most recognizable characters, from Wolverine in the X-Men franchise to Jean Valjean in Les Misérables, P.T. Barnum in The Greatest Showman and Van Helsing.

Long John Silver could become another signature role.

Robert Louis Stevenson’s infamous pirate is simultaneously charming, intelligent, manipulative, and dangerous a character whose relationship with young Jim Hawkins sits at the center of the story.

Jackman’s combination of theatrical charisma and action experience makes him a natural fit for the role.

A Classic Story Gets a Modern Hollywood Reboot

First published in 1883, Treasure Island follows young Jim Hawkins after he discovers a map leading to the buried fortune of the legendary pirate Captain Flint.

Jim joins a voyage aboard the Hispaniola but soon discovers that several members of the crew are secretly plotting a mutiny.

At the heart of the danger is Long John Silver, the charismatic one-legged pirate who has become one of literature’s defining villains.

The novel helped establish numerous pirate-story conventions, including buried treasure maps, mutiny, the Black Spot and the iconic image of the pirate with a parrot.

The story has sold more than 100 million copies worldwide and inspired countless adaptations, including Disney’s 2002 animated Treasure Planet.

With Ridley Scott directing and Hugh Jackman potentially commanding the screen as Long John Silver, Hollywood may be preparing to give the legendary pirate adventure its biggest reinvention yet.