Back in February, we reported that UK-based production company Ecosse Films was aiming to fire a grappling hook at the latest re-invented literature bandwagon kicked off by **Sherlock Holmes **with a fresh spin on Treasure Island. Well, now it turns out that the sneaky team behind Holmes is aiming to beat them to the punch with their own take on Long John Silver and co.
Pajiba’s usually reliable sources have let them in on plans set in motion by Sherlock producer Lionel Wigram – who is also hard at work trying to get a Doug Liman-directed Three Musketeers into cinemas before Paul WS Anderson can finish his sword-swinging version – and Warners to get their own Treasure Island out before anyone else.
And the studio apparently has a (peg) leg up already, with a script in hand by largely uknown scribe Michael Gilio. No details have leaked about the plot or tone, but Pajiba reports that Paul Greengrass was originally top of Warners’ directorial wish list (sounds like Fantastic Voyage will now mean he’s out of the running), pointing to an action-packed feel for the Treasure script. Which wouldn’t be out of place given Wigram and Guy Ritchie’s take on Holmes.
If Wigram and Warners keep up their campaign, we could end up with another “versus” year to go down in the history books alongside volcanoes (Dante’s Peak/Volcano) and meteorites (Deep Impact/Armageddon).
Oh, and no, Tim Curry is not in the running for Silver this time. But he *was *fun in Muppet Treasure Island...