David Fincher No Longer Developing Disney's 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA
It has been reported that Disney's take on 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea is no longer in development, at least with director David Fincher. Hit the jump for more info, including which Avenger the studio wanted to cast in the sci-fi adaptation.
Disney has been developing an adaptation of Jules Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea for several years, with David Fincher being attached to direct for some time. However, production kept being delayed (due to difficulties finding an actor to star in the production, among other issues). With that said, it shouldn't come as a surprise that the movie is apparently dead - at least with Fincher. According to The Playlist, the director is no longer involved with the big budget 3D adaptation, and his take on the movie has actually been inactive for months, despite other reports saying that filming would commence in Australia next year.
As stated before, one of the problems in moving forward was locking down a lead actor (apparently to play Ned Land). Fincher had trouble deciding to find somebody else after frequent collaborator Brad Pitt declined, and ended up approaching both Matt Damon and Daniel Craig for the role. However, the two actors weren't keen on moving to Australia for a 140 day production as they didn't want to be away from their families for so long. Channing Tatum was reportedly suggested by The Social Network director, but Disney wasn't sold on the idea (since the G.I. Joe: Retaliation actor wasn't quite the A-list material the studio wanted to lead the big budget blockbuster). Finally, the studio wanted to cast Chris "Thor" Hemsworth, but by that time, Fincher decided to drop out.
This is surely disappointing news for those who have been looking forward to seeing a modern take on 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea (like myself). Do you think Disney should move forward with adapting the iconic novel? For an update on The Girl Who Played With Fire, click the source link below.