Hayley Atwell’s Bess Hawkins is one of the biggest changes in the 2026 Treasure Island. Instead of remaining at the edge of Jim Hawkins’s story, she travels into the danger with him and helps shape the search for Captain Flint’s treasure.
Quick answer: How does Bess Hawkins change the story?
Bess, played by Atwell, becomes an active participant in the treasure hunt. She negotiates, judges potential allies, and tries to protect Jim while confronting people whose interests may not match their promises. Jim is learning independence; Bess is trying to keep them both alive.
Paramount+’s official series guide confirms that Bess and Jim come into possession of Captain Flint’s map and travel aboard the Hispaniola.
She is more than the person Jim leaves behind
In many familiar versions of Robert Louis Stevenson’s 1883 novel, Jim’s mother is most visible at the beginning. This adaptation gives Bess more room to affect what happens next. She is not merely a reason for Jim to leave home; she is a person who must navigate the same dangerous world.
That raises the stakes of every decision. When Bess considers whom to trust, she is weighing more than her own safety. When Jim takes a risk, the consequences reach the person trying to protect him. Their relationship becomes a negotiation between parental responsibility and a teenager’s growing need to act independently.
Bess has her own survival strategy
Offers of money, passage, and protection can come with conditions, and the treasure gives everyone a reason to hide their intentions. Atwell plays Bess as determined but not invulnerable: she has to keep moving even when information is incomplete. Jim’s curiosity and Bess’s caution create tension, but they can also make them a more capable team.
Why the mother-son dynamic matters
Jim’s remarkable memory is an advantage, but it also makes him valuable to people who want the treasure. Jim sees knowledge as a tool; Bess understands how it can turn someone into a target. Neither view is entirely wrong, and their disagreement gives the story a way to explore growing up without reducing the conflict to a simple parent-versus-child argument.
David Oyelowo’s Long John Silver is a persuasive, complicated figure whose ambitions put everyone aboard the Hispaniola under pressure. Bess’s larger role gives the adaptation another character who must weigh Silver’s charm against the danger he represents.
Does the expanded role work?
A more active Bess can deepen the adaptation, but the writing must still preserve Jim’s coming-of-age journey. A review published by The Guardian on October 12, 2026, argued that Bess sometimes overwhelms Jim in this version. That criticism highlights the balance the series must strike: giving a mother agency should strengthen the protagonist’s journey, not replace it. Read the review.
Watch the official trailer
Frequently asked questions
Who plays Jim Hawkins’s mother?
Hayley Atwell plays Bess Hawkins.
Is Bess a bigger character in the new series?
Yes. The adaptation gives her a more active role in the treasure hunt and in decisions that affect Jim’s safety.
Where can viewers watch Treasure Island?
The series is available on MGM+ in the United States and Paramount+ in the United Kingdom and Ireland, subject to regional availability.
Sources: Paramount+ official guide; Playground Entertainment; Future of the Force; The Guardian.
By Shivam Das
