From Collide – Sky TV is on a buccaneer rampage. First they backed the ambitious Neverland miniseries – which includes the lovely Anna Friel playing pirate Elizabeth Bonny – and now they’re setting sail for Treasure Island. So get ready for a sweeping, four hour, two part adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island, with Eddie Izzard on board to play Long John Silver (best casting EVER) and Elijah Wood set to play Ben Gunn. Steve Barron (Arabian Nights) is directing; Stewart Harcourt (who has penned many a Marple and Poirot adaptation) wrote the screenplay, and Alan Moloney (Neverland) is producing. (I like…)
Filming starts next month in Ireland and Puerto Rico, with the two night event set to air Christmas 2012 in the UK (for us US types, we’ll just have to wait and see – though PBS seems like the obvious destination).
Given the talent involved – and Sky’s determination to become a big player in producing original content – definitely keep a weather eye out for this one.
Book Jacket:
Following the demise of bloodthirsty buccaneer Captain Flint, young Jim Hawkins finds himself with the key to a fortune. For he has discovered a map that will lead him to the fabled Treasure Island. But a host of villains, wild beasts and deadly savages stand between him and the stash of gold. Not to mention the most infamous pirate ever to sail the high seas . . .
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