‘The Dog Stars’ Director Ridley Scott Reveals He’s Already Deep Into Prepping His Next Movie, ‘Treasure Island,’ with Hugh Jackman

At 88 years old, most filmmakers would be slowing down, easing into a well-earned victory lap after a career spanning decades of genre-defining work. Ridley Scott has never operated that way, and his latest comments prove he has no intention of starting now.

Scott just wrapped the theatrical rollout of ‘The Dog Stars,’ his post-apocalyptic drama starring Jacob Elordi and Josh Brolin, and rather than pausing to catch his breath, he’s already deep into preparations for what comes next. That relentless pace has become something of a signature for the director throughout his later career.

During press for ‘The Dog Stars,’ Scott revealed just how far along that next project already is. He said he’s already halfway through ‘Treasure Island,’ explaining that he knows exactly what he’s going to do because he draws storyboards like a quite sophisticated comic, giving him a detailed roadmap before cameras even start rolling.

That level of preparation lines up with Scott’s confirmed plans for the pirate adventure, which reimagines Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic novel with Hugh Jackman set to star as the iconic Long John Silver. Speaking with Collider during the same press cycle, Scott confirmed the project as his definite next film, revealing that production is scheduled to begin shooting on November 1.

Scott also offered a glimpse into who else he’s hoping to bring aboard the project. Alongside Jackman, the director indicated he’s hoping to cast Hugh Grant, along with Owen Cooper, the breakout young star of Netflix’s acclaimed series ‘Adolescence,’ who Scott appears to be eyeing for the role of young Jim Hawkins.

Jackman himself has spoken candidly about what drew him to the project, admitting he’d never actually read or seen any prior version of ‘Treasure Island’ before signing on. He told DiscussingFilm that despite having heard of Long John Silver, he had no real familiarity with the character until Scott personally sent him the script, at which point he immediately knew he wanted to be involved.

The script comes from Jack Thorne, the Emmy-winning writer behind ‘Adolescence,’ who Jackman has described as delivering an amazing take on the material. Jackman noted that while the project is being described as a slight reimagining of the original story, it was ultimately the strength of Thorne’s writing and the opportunity to work with Scott that sealed his decision to join.

Jackman also revealed he drew on insight from his ‘Les Misérables’ co-star Russell Crowe, who has worked with Scott across five previous films, to get a sense of what to expect on set. He recalled Crowe describing Scott’s signature approach of running multiple cameras simultaneously during action sequences, a technique Jackman said left him genuinely excited to finally collaborate with the director after nearly two decades of near-misses between them.

Given how quickly Scott appears to be moving from one major production to the next, ‘Treasure Island’ looks set to become yet another entry in an already remarkably prolific late-career stretch for the filmmaker. With storyboards well underway and a November start date locked in, fans won’t have to wait long to see this new pirate adventure take shape.

Have something to add? Let us know in the comments!