Warner Bros. has set Guy Ritchie to direct a new iteration of Robert Louis Stevenson’s pirate tale Treasure Island.  Deadline reports that Alex Harakis has been tapped to write the screenplay, and Ritchie will produce alongside partner Lionel Wigram.  The duo teamed up on the reimaging of Sherlock Holmes which itself spawned last year’s sequel Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows.  Ritchie most recently signed on to produce and possibly direct The Man from U.N.C.L.E. for Warner Bros. after Steven Soderbergh left the project.

Wigram has been developing Treasure Island for the past couple of years, with Paul Greengrass eyeing the project as a directorial vehicle at one point.  There’s no word on how this update will differ from Stevenson’s original story, and though the kid in me is screaming “space pirates!” I’d love to see a hardened, high seas adventure a la Master and Commander from Ritchie.

In a special, one-night-only movie event, taking place on May 5^th, Syfy is airing the four-hour re-imagining of the classic tale, Treasure Island, featuring an all-star cast led by Eddie Izzard (as Long John Silver), Elijah Wood (as Ben Gunn) and Donald Sutherland (as Flint). In this version, directed by Steve Barron and written by Stewart Harcourt, Robert Louis Stevenson’s swashbuckling adventure story about fantastical treasure, youthful courage and murderous greed has a fresh, new feel. The film also stars Toby Regbo, Rupert Penry-Jones, Shirley Henderson and Nina Sosanya.

During this recent interview to promote the film’s premiere, actor Eddie Izzard talked about how he got involved with this project, his inspiration for Long John Silver and how he made the role his own, finding the unique look for the character, the high and low moments during shooting, working with a real parrot, and that they’re already talking about doing another film. He also talked about being a big fan of science fiction and the imagination, his desire to continue doing dramatic work, and being offered a role in the Munsters reboot, Mockingbird Lane, from creator Bryan Fuller and with a pilot directed by Bryan Singer. Check out what he had to say after the jump:

Apparently the talk that Bourne Ultimatum director Paul Greengrass was ready to board James Cameron’s production of Fantastic Voyage was a bit premature.  Greengrass was in talks to direct the remake of the 1966 film about a group of shrunken scientists who explored the human body, and is in fact the only director to have seen Shane Salerno’s script, but a deal was never finalized.  Even though there were questions about how Greengrass’s shaky-cam style would suit the sci-fi tentpole, it was an interesting combination of auteur and concept, so it’s too bad things didn’t work out.  It coulda been one of the good ones (whatever that means).

It appears Greengrass may have left the high profile project for greener pastures, though, as he is in talks to direct an upcoming adaptation of Treasure Island from Sherlock Holmes producer Lionel Wigram.  Details after the jump:

Warner Bros. is joining the latest Hollywood craze.  Hot on the heels of the blockbuster success of Sherlock Holmes, Warner Bros. has begun developing a new adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island. In the same fashion as Gladiator, X-Men and The Lord of the Rings, Sherlock Holmes has become a trendsetter and now Hollywood execs are convinced that modern, kinetic adaptations of 19^th century novels are the way to go. Warner Bros. is producing in conjunction with Lionel Wigram, who was also the man behind Sherlock Holmes.  More after the jump:

Amidst all the Avatar hoopla, Guy Ritchie’s fresh take on Sherlock Holmes has quietly tallied more than $460 million worldwide: hence, the sequel.  But it looks like Hollywood is looking to expand the influence outside the franchise.  Last week, we reported that Sherlock producer Lionel Wigram wants to update The Three Musketeers in a similar manner and today, Empire informs us that Ecosse Films is looking to make a Treasure Island for the new generation, influenced by the irreverent, non-traditional style of Sherlock.  Details after the jump.