It’s great news that Hugh Jackman will be in Ridley Scott’s new movie based on a classic adventure story, but it will be a challenge to surpass previous pirate films. Since the Pirates of the Caribbean movies stopped being made in 2017, there haven’t been many popular swashbuckler films. While interest in pirate movies naturally goes up and down, this new project aims to revive the genre and make it popular again.
Hugh Jackman and Scott are reportedly working on a fresh take on the classic novel Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson, which was first published in 1883. Treasure Island is a coming-of-age story combined with an exciting adventure, and it essentially created many of the familiar elements we now associate with pirate tales. The story follows young Jim Hawkins as he gets caught up in the dangerous world of piracy through his encounter with the villainous Long John Silver.
Three Existing Treasure Island Movies Are Already Beloved
Scott and Jackman’s new take on Treasure Island faces a challenge: there are already three popular movie versions of the story, besides the Pirates of the Caribbean films. The 1954 adaptation, directed by Byron Haskin (known for War of the Worlds), was Walt Disney’s first full-length live-action film. Robert Newton’s performance as Long John Silver was particularly memorable and significantly influenced how pirates are portrayed in popular culture, establishing a recognizable accent and mannerisms that have endured for decades.
Although Treasure Island was filmed as a silent movie in 1918 and 1920, and again in 1934 with Lionel Barrymore, the 1954 version was a major hit with both critics and audiences. It’s considered one of the best pirate adventure films ever made. Several other adaptations followed, but it wasn’t until TNT’s 1990 miniseries – featuring an incredibly talented cast – that another truly memorable version appeared.
This version of Treasure Island is notable for featuring a young Christian Bale (later known from American Psycho) as Jim Hawkins. But it’s the incredible supporting cast – including Charlton Heston, Oliver Reed, Christopher Lee, and Pete Postlethwaite – that truly makes this adaptation special. It stays remarkably true to Robert Louis Stevenson’s book and was highly praised, only surpassed by the 1996 film Muppet Treasure Island.
Ridley Scott and Hugh Jackman’s Treasure Island Must Learn From Earlier Adaptations
Featuring a fantastic performance by Tim Curry and a clever script that both honors and playfully mocks the classic pirate story, Muppet Treasure Island is a wonderful spoof and faithful adaptation all in one. This makes it a high bar for Hugh Jackman and Scott’s new take on Treasure Island to surpass.
The new movie has a good chance of succeeding if it takes inspiration from what worked in previous adaptations. Muppet Treasure Island showed that adding humor can be a great approach when retelling a well-known story, while the 1990 film proved the importance of staying true to the original source material. If Ridley Scott and Hugh Jackman can blend these successful elements from past Treasure Island movies, their version could become a classic as well.
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2026-06-17 17:10