Could ‘Treasure Island’ Return for Season 2 After That Ending? David Oyelowo Weighs In

MGM+’s new adaptation of Treasure Island takes quite a few creative liberties throughout, and Sunday’s (November 15) finale is no exception.

In Robert Louis Stevenson’s novel, Long John Silver (portrayed by David Oyelowo in the series) escapes with a little bit of gold, and Jim Hawkins (Tom Sweet) returns to London and swears off any more oceanic adventures. However, this modernized version sees them sticking together with Mr. Graham (Jack Huston) after finally identifying Bess’ (Hayley Atwell) killer, and Silver making the selfless decision to toss the treasure overboard rather than let any of them die. In the end, they seem to be heading off for a new aquatic adventure — this time, playing pirate again on a Portuguese ship.

The open (seas) ending leaves room for more of Treasure Island, so is that a possibility?

David Oyelowo told TV Insider, “Who knows? I think the answer to that question lies with the audience. If they love what we’ve done, then they’ll ask for more. But the thing I can say is that it was a lot of fun to delve into this world. I think the storytelling within it is endless by way of possibility — and the characters. I think the reason why the story is so iconic and has so many different iterations is because there’s a kind of perfect balance in terms of how grounded they are, three dimensional they are, but also fantastical all at the same time.”

In the case that Treasure Island does get another run, of course, there’s one headliner who probably wouldn’t make the cut: Bess Hawkins. Earlier in the season, she was murdered on the ship — a crime that Jim was certain was perpetrated by either Silver or Graham until he learned that it was actually Mr. Cameron (Neil Pendleton).

MGM+

Related

'Treasure Island' Stars Hayley Atwell and David Oyelowo Explain Major Book-to-Screen Changes (Exclusive)

However, Hayley Atwell still had thoughts about where Bess’ mind would be if she could see Jim in those final moments, sallying up on a ship to become a full-fledged pirate.

“It’s a sort of bittersweet perspective I have in it because I think, particularly at the beginning, you get a sense of how close and how enmeshed their relationship is, and that she’s leaned on him. He, of course, has depended on her all his life. She is many things to him, and the relationship that they have becomes more and more fractured as he does the very necessary thing that any child should do, which is to become an adult and become independent, and then be free to make their own choices,” the actress said. “She’s aware that he is becoming a man, but also she’s aware that she’s losing him to the influence, potentially, of Long John Silver, and there is a sort of an unspoken nemesis quality between Long John Silver and Bess Hawkins, where they’re both vying for Jim and his loyalty, and that I think becomes very painful for Bess to realize, but also inevitable.”

Treasure Island, MGM+