When Jules Verne released his novel, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, a new era of adventure and science fiction was born. The book has since captured the hearts and minds of millions and even spawned a wildly successful Disney film in 1954. Now, after decades of waiting, it looks like a brand new Disney+ series is set to be released titled, Nautilus, which will follow the adventures of Captain Nemo. While it may seem like Hollywood hasn’t been interested in the property since the 1954 movie, the franchise has actually made multiple attempts to set sail, most notably with a film by David Fincher.
Fincher is best known for films like Fight Club and Se7en. But even those more mature projects didn’t steer Disney away when he was announced to direct the 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea remake. He had big plans for the movie that included a fleshed-out look at Captain Nemo while melding CG and practical effects. All together, Fincher hoped to create a definitive 20,000 Leagues experience for the modern audience. Sadly this never came to pass due to a collection of factors working against the film.
The studio politics surrounding the project left the movie in a state of production limbo, as it was greenlit to be made but not technically ready to film. This was because of Fincher’s desire to shoot in Australia and the country’s offer of $22.5 million to make it happen. While it seemed like the project was ready to go, Disney wasn’t ready to go full speed ahead without a solid cast. Essentially, the studio wanted a cast that could pull in a huge amount of numbers, but due to scheduling conflicts, many of their choices were unable to join.
One big name that appeared to be a part of the project was Brad Pitt. Pitt had worked with Fincher before and expressed interest, but the actor decided not to join the project when it came close to filming time. Other names that were floated around included Chris Hemsworth and Matt Damon, but various reasons kept them from joining as well. To make matters worse, the film was being set up at a bad time for Disney due to its recent movie releases.
Before the cameras had even started rolling on 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Disney was already dealing with the financial failure surrounding John Carter, another project based on a classic novel. To make matters worse, the studio’s adaptation of The Lone Ranger wasn’t faring so well either. As both films failed to deliver at the box office, Fincher’s movie was looking like more and more of a risk than a success. By 2013, Fincher left the project to work on Gone Girl, once again leaving the film dead in the water.
Hollywood has since tried to make their own versions, with Disney wanting to do a Captain Nemo spinoff with James Mangold. Ultimately Mangold went on to direct Logan but has returned for Indiana Jones 5. Fox even had Bryan Singer attached for his own version, but the project never got far amidst the allegations of sexual abuse surrounding the director. While politics, casting and box office earnings kept Fincher’s vision from hitting the silver screen, this new adaption may finally bring the adventures of Captain Nemo to life for a new audience.
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