First Disney announced that they were going to do yet another remake of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea with not much more information to go on than last year’s announcement. That said that McG was attached to direct. Neither he nor screenwriter Scott Z. Burns has signed a deal, though. The real movement on this came when David Fincher (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) was slated to direct.
Now, Fox has revealed that it has its own adaptation of the classic Jules Verne novel is in the works and has been in the works since the end of the writer’s strike in 2007-8. Fox has partnered with Tony and Ridley Scott’s brainchild, Scott Free Productions. They are in negotiations with Timur Bekmambetov (Wanted) to direct with a script from Travis Beacham ( Clash of the Titans). Beacham approached the Scotts with his pitch and insiders are saying that it is set to be in the future, but still supposed to follow the structure of the classic novel. Fincher may film The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo before starting 20,000 Leagues. That just may set the two movies far enough apart for them to both be successful.
