Coming rather quickly in the wake of David Fincher‘s expressed desire to direct an adaptation of Jules Verne‘s classic 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Fox has surfaced plans to embark on their own undersea adventure inspired by the book as well. It has been reported that Ridley and Tony Scott are set to produce via Scott Free productions for Fox, who had started the project just after the writers’ strike.
As for the story, it will be a futuristic take on the tale rather than a period piece, based on a screenplay by Clash of the Titans co-scribe Travis Beacham. In addition, director Timur Bekmambetov is said to have his eye on the film as its potential helmer. Bekmambetov, though he’s been producing films, hasn’t been in the director’s chair since 2008’s Wanted, but even with that credit under his belt, the man sure doesn’t seem like he wants to shy away from grandiose blockbuster filmmaking anytime soon. Between some of the source material’s larger than life sequences and Beacham’s futuristic setting, the director should feel right at home.
While all aspects of this project seem promising ingredients for a nice juicy big-budget adventure, it does seem at tad ridiculous coming right on the heels of Fincher’s announced project with Disney, much in the same vein as the whole fiasco with Doug Liman‘s and Paul W.S. Anderson‘s competing Three Musketeers films. All things considered, despite Bekmambetov’s experience with blockbuster filmmaking, Fincher certainly has the better track record under his belt, and his 20,000 Leagues should be a nice addition to that. However, both of these projects aren’t quite rolling (swimming?) full steam ahead, so we’ll just have to wait and see how this competition develops in due time.
Do we need two 20,000 Leagues films? Which one are you more excited for?