Ridley Scott has confirmed that his next movie will be Treasure Island, and the director has his eye on Adolescence breakout star Owen Cooper for a lead role. Scott revealed the casting news while speaking with Collider during the press junket for his upcoming post-apocalyptic thriller The Dog Stars. When asked about his next movie, Scott confirmed that he is already casting Treasure Island and that production is scheduled to begin on November 1.
“Yes. I’m already casting it right now,” Scott said.
When asked specifically about Treasure Island, the filmmaker confirmed the project and named Hugh Jackman, Cooper, and another major British star he hopes to bring aboard.
“Yes, with Hugh Jackman. I hope Hugh Grant, and I hope the kid from Adolescence,” Scott said.
That makes Cooper, who earned widespread acclaim for his performance as Jamie Miller in Netflix’s Adolescence, the apparent frontrunner to play Jim Hawkins, the young hero at the center of Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic adventure story. Cooper has not yet been officially announced as part of the cast, but Scott’s comments make it clear that the director is actively pursuing him for the role.
Hugh Jackman, meanwhile, is already attached to play Long John Silver, the charismatic pirate who leads a mutiny during Jim Hawkins’ search for buried treasure. Sony Pictures is attached to the project after entering negotiations for Scott’s Treasure Island package earlier this summer.
Scott’s Treasure Island will be based on Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic 1883 novel, which follows young Jim Hawkins after he discovers a treasure map connected to the legendary pirate Captain Flint. Jim joins an expedition aboard the Hispaniola, hoping to find Flint’s buried fortune. But the voyage takes a dangerous turn when he discovers that Long John Silver, the ship’s seemingly friendly cook, is actually a pirate with plans of his own.
Jack Thorne, the Emmy-winning writer behind Adolescence, wrote the screenplay. Scott and Michael Pruss are producing through Scott Free Productions, with Thorne also executive producing.
Scott previously revealed that Thorne’s screenplay impressed him enough that he decided to make Treasure Island his next movie. The project was initially shopped to 20th Century Studios before Sony Pictures began negotiations to acquire it.
Now Scott has put an actual production date on the project.
“Yeah. I shoot November 1,” the filmmaker told Collider when asked about the start date.
That would put Treasure Island directly into production shortly after the release of The Dog Stars, Scott’s upcoming adaptation of Peter Heller’s post-apocalyptic novel.
Cooper became one of the biggest young acting discoveries of 2025 thanks to Adolescence, the acclaimed Netflix limited series created by Jack Thorne and Stephen Graham. The series follows a 13-year-old boy named Jamie Miller after he is arrested for the murder of a teenage girl. Cooper’s performance earned enormous critical attention and established him as one of the most promising young actors working today.
A potential role in Treasure Island would give Cooper an entirely different challenge. Rather than the intense, contemporary drama of Adolescence, he would potentially be leading a massive period adventure directed by the filmmaker behind Alien, Blade Runner, Gladiator, Kingdom of Heaven, Napoleon, and Gladiator II.
It would also reunite Cooper with Thorne.
Scott also mentioned Hugh Grant when discussing his desired cast, saying, “I hope Hugh Grant” joins the movie.
Grant’s potential role has not been revealed, and unlike Jackman, he has not been officially confirmed as part of the cast. If Cooper does ultimately sign on as Jim Hawkins, the movie would therefore potentially feature a fascinating combination of young and veteran British talent, with Cooper at the center of a classic adventure story and Jackman taking on one of literature’s most famous pirates.
For Scott, Treasure Island also represents a return to the kind of large-scale historical adventure that has become a major part of his career. His filmography already includes Gladiator, Kingdom of Heaven, Robin Hood, Exodus: Gods and Kings, The Last Duel, Napoleon, and Gladiator II.
Before that happens, however, Scott has one more movie to release: The Dog Stars, starring Jacob Elordi, Josh Brolin, Margaret Qualley, Guy Pearce, Allison Janney, and Benedict Wong, arrives in theatres, IMAX, and premium large formats on August 28, 2026.
What do you think of the possibility of Owen Cooper and Hugh Grant joining Hugh Jackman in Ridley Scott’s Treasure Island? Let us know by leaving a comment below.