With The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo follow-up not on his radar, David Fincher was looking to get into family adventure terroritory with a big-budget Disney adaptation of the Jules Verne classic 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Although star Brad Pitt dropped the project earlier this year, things were reportedly moving ahead for an Australian production this summer.
It looks like the project has hit another snag, however, as Sydney Morning Herald reports that the film has temporarily been shelved. Now aiming for a 2014 production start (which means we likely wouldn’t see it hit theaters until 2015 at the earliest), the delays are reportedly due to casting issues.
There was word that Channing Tatum was being eyed to replace Pitt in the lead role, but those rumors have yet to be confirmed. Considering the hefty budget, it makes sense that Disney will wait until they have a bankable star (perhaps learning a lesson after John Carter), so let’s hope that they find one and we can see the next film from Fincher sooner rather than later.
Who would you like to see star in Fincher’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea? Are you disappointed by the delay?