Syfy has released a trailer for RHI’s Treasure Island, which is based on the classic novel by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson.
Treasure Island is a 3-hour film (4 with commercials), originally broadcast on the BBC in two parts. Syfy has obtained the US broadcast rights, and will be showing the film, all in one piece this weekend.
RHI is the same company that made Tin Man, Alice, and Neverland, all popular micro-series fantasy film adaptations on their own. It’ll be interesting to see if they can bring that same magic to a less fantastic setting.
Treasure Island is a classic Robert Louis Stevenson novel about Jim Hawkins, who finds a map which indicates the location of lost treasure on a remote island, leading him on an adventure of pirates, guns, and mystery. Stevenson’s novel seems cliche only because it is the modern origin of almost all stories we now tell about high seas Caribbean adventure.
Tattooed swashbucklers, plank-walking, maps which lead to buried treasure – all were popularized by the novel. The major challenge in its adaptation will be making it all look and feel original, especially when it’s been done so many times in so many different ways.
The lead role is taken up by Tobt Regbo, but he’s not the impressive part of the cast. We’ll also see Elijah Wood, Donald Sutherland, and Eddie Izzard, with Izzard taking on the role of the infamous Captain “Long” John Silver.
Treasure Island airs on Syfy on May 5th, 2012 at 7pm.
