Classic adventure story Treasure Island will be reimagined as a "high-stakes coming-of-age" series for a "new generation", with David Oyelowo (Spooks) and Hayley Atwell (Marvel's Agent Carter) set to star.
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Inspired by Robert Louis Stevenson's legendary novel, the upcoming adaptation will chart "the transformation of teenager Jim Hawkins from sheltered boy to emboldened young pirate".
Jim will be played by rising star Tom Sweet, who you may have spotted as a young Pip in Steven Knight's Great Expectations, with Oyelowo taking on the role of the "charming [yet] terrifying" veteran pirate Long John Silver.
Mission: Impossible and rumoured Avengers: Doomsday cast member Atwell co-stars as Jim's mother, Bess, whose "clever and decisive actions leave him holding valuable knowledge that puts both of their lives in danger".
Rounding out the Treasure Island cast is Jack Huston (Boardwalk Empire) as duplicitous British agent Aaron Graham and Tomer Capone (The Boys) as jaded seaman Billy Bones.
David Oyelowo will play Long John Silver in Treasure Island. Robin L Marshall/FilmMagic
The synopsis teases: "Jim has to grow up fast as he and his mother fight for survival on a voyage where alliances shift, secrets multiply and peril closes in from all sides.
"Set across the Atlantic, in a Caribbean on the brink of revolution and on the terrifying Skeleton Island, the series tracks Jim as he confronts a world far more complex and dangerous than he ever imagined, where resilience, loyalty and identity are tested – and fortune is the prize."
Treasure Island is a co-production between streaming platforms Paramount+, where it will stream in the UK, and the Amazon-owned MGM+, which will take the US rights.
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Paramount UK's deputy chief content officer Sebastian Cardwell commented: "Treasure Island is a bold and atmospheric reimagining of a story that has captivated audiences for generations.
"This adaptation brings fresh emotional depth and a striking contemporary edge to Stevenson's classic."
The series is created by McDonald & Dodds scribe Robert Murphy, with directors Jeremy Lovering (Slow Horses), William McGregor (His Dark Materials) and Paul Walker (Riviera) to put in shifts across the six-part run.
David Craig is the Senior Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest and greatest scripted drama and comedy across television and streaming. Previously, he worked at Starburst Magazine, presented The Winter King Podcast for ITVX and studied Journalism at the University of Sheffield.
