Bryan Singer Set to Direct 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA
Art by Gregory Manchess
Bryan Singer announced via Instagram that his next film project after X-Men: Apocalypse will be a new big screen adaptation of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. He posted a photo of the script he has been working on and offered the following statement:
"It's my 50th birthday (ouch), and I just put the finishing touches on the script for my next film. A story I've wanted to retell since childhood. I promise this will be an epic and emotional adventure for all ages! An adventure very dear to my heart. Not abandoning the #xmenuniverse. Very excited about #xmenapocalypse and beyond. #julesverne#20000leaguesunderthesea #nemo"
The 1868 Jules Verne story followed the undersea adventures of Captain Nemo and the crew on his submarine vessel, the Nautilus. The most popular big screen adaptation was Disney's 1954 film with Kirk Douglas. Disney tried to get another adaptation off the ground a few years ago, and David Fincher was attached to direct it.
As much as I've enjoyed some of the films Singer has made, I would have much rather seen a version of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea made by David Fincher. He's just an all-around better filmmaker and storyteller. It's a shame that we'll never see what he had planned, but I'm sure Singer can make a decent film.
There's no word if Singer's film project is set up at Disney or not, but I imagine it's not. Singer's production company is set up over at 20th Century Fox, where I'm sure he'll stay to make his movie. Back in 2010, Ridley and Tony Scott were developing a version of the film at the studio, but nothing ever came of it.
Singer enlisted the help of screenwriters Rick Sordelet and Dan Studney to help write the script, which is unsettling because these are the same guys who also wrote Jack the Giant Slayer for Singer, which turned out to be a terrible film. Hopefully they deliver a solidly written script for 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.
What do you think about Singer taking on this classic story?