If only British Petroleum had a fucking script. A couple of days ago it was reported that David Fincher has been in semi-secret talks with Disney to remake the 1954 Kirk Douglas/James Mason adaptation of the 1869 Jules Verne classic. In an exclusive from THR, we now learn Fox has its own clandestine plans to take a plunge with Captain Nemo too. There’s no problem wrestling over the rights since the novel is in the public domain.
Months after deep-sixing a McG-helmed version of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Disney is in negotiations with David Fincher to direct, and Bourne Ultimatum scribe Scott Z. Burns to write, a new take on the classic Jules Verne story.
At the same time, Fox is prepping its own version of the submarine tale with an equally pedigreed filmmaking team. Producers Ridley and Tony Scott and their Scott Free Prods. are developing Leagues for the studio with a script by Clash of the Titans co-writer Travis Beacham.
Wait a minute. I thought you said “equally pedigreed.” In what aquaverse does the The Bourne Trilogy = Clash of the Titans? At any rate, nobody’s finished a script for either version yet. It was Fincher himself who approached Disney to develop the project.
The Oscar-nominated helmer wanted to tackle a four-quadrant tentpole movie, somewhat of a departure from the dark, R-rated dramas such as Fight Club and Zodiac (or even Curious Case of Benjamin Button) that he’s done in the past.
It’s not surprising that Disney would revisit Leagues. [New Disney Chariman] Rich Ross has said his mandate is to make wide-appeal, pre-branded entertainment. And while plotlines are being kept submerged, the Fincher/Burns take on the material is described as being in the vein of Star Wars and the filmmakers will aim to create a visually dazzling movie.
Fox is looking to sign Wanted director Timur Bekmambetov to handle its adaptation, but nothing’s in ink yet.
Bekmambetov, notoriously picky about his projects (he hasn’t directed a movie since 2008’s Wanted but is producing the sci-fi actioner The Darkest Hour later this summer), is interested in directing the Fox Leagues, which insiders say is set in the future and follows the novel’s structure. But he hasn’t committed… The Fox project is not greenlit, and Bekmambetov’s involvement is said to hinge in part on him approving a script.
When does Fincher plan to fit an undersea adventure into his busy agenda?
Burns, who penned Steven Soderbergh’s latest Contagion as well as The Informant!, will begin writing immediately. That should give Fincher, who is in post on The Social Network for Sony, time to direct another movie (possibly The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, also for Sony, but his name has been connected to a host of projects) before jumping into Leagues.
Work fast, fellows. The sooner the better. A movie featuring mythical sea creatures won’t be near as much fun after all our actual sea creatures have been smothered in crude oil.