Exclusive: Timothee Chalamet Eyed For Treasure Planet Remake

The latest Giant Freakin Robot exclusive has it that Timothee Chalamat could be starring in the Treasure Planet live-action remake

By Doug Norrie | Published

timothee chalamat

Timothee Chalamat is quickly becoming one of the biggest movie stars around, taking part in some of the highest-profile productions Hollywood has to offer. It’s all kind of happening for the guy and the talent is shining through on the biggest stage. Now he might be adding another massive production to the resume as well in what could end up becoming a franchise of films before it’s all said and done. The latest Giant Freakin Robot exclusive from our trusted and proven source has it that Timothee Chalamat is being courted for the lead in a live-action adaptation of Treasure Planet. The actor could be taking part in what could amount to a very cool flick. 

The most recent version of Treasure Planet came out two decades ago, all the way back in 2002. Produced by Disney, the story is an adaptation of the Robert Louis Stevenson book Treasure Island, though this story takes its beats and moves it into outer space. Presumably, Timothee Chalamat would be playing the character of Jim Hawkins (voiced by Joseph Gordon-Levitt in that film), a teenager hoping to find some adventure in space, feeling like he has a certain calling to head out into the great unknown. Check out the trailer for this version of Treasure Planet: 

With a mix of different styles, it’s actually pretty easy to see how a movie like Treasure Planet could play out on the big screen in a live-action form. Combining the pirate ship elements of swashbuckling and flag-waving with the futuristic elements of space travel and planetary discovery, something like this movie, if done correctly, could offer a newer visual style for the medium. And when you see the trailer above, with the wanderlust exuberance on the part of Hawkins, it’s actually pretty easy to picture Timothee Chalamat in the role. Maybe some of his recent roles have set it up to make the case, but man could it totally work. 

One reason it’s been twenty years since we’ve heard about Treasure Planet and why Disney would likely want to have a big-name star like Timothee Chalamat in the lead role from the jump is because the movie was a pretty epic flop at the box office. Taking more than $140 million dollars to make, it earned back *only* $110 million in ticket sales. This is a disaster of the highest order for the studio with movies like this (or that cost this much) supposed to stand up as tent pole productions. It was anything but the case with Treasure Planet and any hopes of franchising it at the time died a quick death. 

As for Timothee Chalamat, well he’s got a few things in the works right now. For starters, he’s just coming off playing Paul Atreides in Dune which hit theaters and HBO MAx last year. The sequel is on its way next year which will cover the second half of Frank Herbert’s classic novel. And he is also set to star in Wonka. That is set to be released around Christmas of 2023. It looks like he could soon be adding another major production to the list with Treasure Planet.