‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ actor joins Ridley Scott’s upcoming film adaptation of ‘Treasure Island’
Over the years, 'Wolverine & Deadpool' actor Hugh Jackman has come to make a name for himself by playing classic characters who are often drawn from literature. Apart from playing Wolverine, Jackson is known for portraying Robin Hood, P.T. Barnum, Jean Valjean, and Van Helsing. The popular actor is now all set to add the pirate Long John Silver to this list. It was recently confirmed that the 'Memento' star will appear in veteran director Ridley Scott's upcoming movie adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson's novel 'Treasure Island'.
According to a report by Variety, Scott has roped in Jackman to play Long John Silver's character in his upcoming film adaptation of the classic novel, first published in 1883. The screenplay of the upcoming adaptation is being penned by writer Jack Thorne, who recently rose to fame for his Emmy Award-winning script for Netflix's 'Adolescence'. Apart from directing, Scott is also producing the movie through his own banner, Scott Free, in association with Michael Pruss. Thorne is also set to serve as one of the executive producers on the project, apart from being the screenplay writer. The news of the casting first hit the waves on Monday.
The one-hundred-and-forty-three-year-old novel has been captivating the imagination of generations of readers all across the globe. Centered around the notion of 'buccaneers and buried gold', Stevenson's novel has been immensely influential and is one of the most adapted pirate stories of all time internationally. The plot of 'Treasure Island' follows Jim Hawkins, who comes across a map detailing how to reach Captain Flint's long-lost fortune. Consequently, Hawkins embarks on a perilous journey fraught with grave dangers aboard his vessel, the Hispaniola. On board the ship, Jim and the rest of the crew are soon confronted by a mutiny instigated and led by the cunning one-legged cook Long John Silver. However, by the end of the novel, Hawkins and the others defeat the pirates and claim their victory.
Apart from being heavily adapted, 'Treasure Island' also set the benchmark for several pirate and treasure hunt tales to follow. For instance, the trope of including treasure maps marked with an 'X' signifying the actual treasure and one-legged pirates with parrots on their shoulders was first popularized by the novel. Besides that, Scott is gearing up for the impending release of his upcoming project: 20th Century's 'The Dog Stars'. A new trailer for the upcoming post-apocalyptic film was recently released and featured Josh Brolin, Jacob Elordi, and Margaret Qualley in the leading roles. Jackman's upcoming projects include A24's 'The Death of Robin Hood', which premieres on June 19.
