It’s no question that we are in an era of Disney revisiting their classic labeled features. Starting with 2010’s Alice in Wonderland, the company has revisited plenty of their older titles. Some of them were based on films that are just under 30 years old, such as The Lion King, some of them slightly older and more obscure, such as Pete’s Dragon. Disney is dipping into an older property once again, but what sets this apart from the others is that it will be in the form of a ten part mini-series!
Nautilus was announced on Monday, produced by U.K. banners Moonriver TV and All3Media-owned Seven Stories, the series is a prequel to the famous Jules Verne novel 20000 Leagues Under the Sea! The series will focus on the infamous Captain Nemo, and will cover his construction of the Nautilus, his iconic submarine. This is not the first time that Disney has created an adaptation of Jules Verne’s original story, but it will be the first time since the release of the 1954 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea feature film, which starred James Mason as Nemo and Kirk Douglas as Ned Land.
Behind the production of Nautilus, is James Dormer, who is credited as writer and executive producer. There is also Johanna Deveraux with executive producer credit. Filming is set to start in 2022. Said in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Deveraux has this to say on the project.
“Jules Verne’s story is a beloved classic all around the world,” said Devereaux. “It’s a huge privilege to bring the Nautilus and her crew to life again in such a bold, exciting way, with a diverse team of creative talent and onscreen characters. The series will be breathtaking, action-packed and a huge amount of fun.”
Indeed, the character of Captain Nemo is infamous in the literary world for his many adventures. In the book, Nemo was introduced as a mysterious entity with an unknown nationality. But during the events of the sequel, The Mysterious Island, Verne reveals that Captain Nemo is the lost Indian prince Dakkar, son of a raja of the territory of Bundelkund and nephew of the Indian hero Tippu-Sahib. After taking part in the failed Indian Rebellion of 1857, Dakkar escaped to a desert island and began construction of the Nautilus with a small crew of companions. Since then, Nemo has always had a hatred for imperialism, specifically the British Empire, which later on influenced the character’s actions in 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.
The character’s origins alone bring a very promising concept that could make for promising television. Nemo has always been a figure in literature that represents the effects of a person being consumed by vengeance. And if the series is about the construction of the legendary vessel, this could prove for plenty of adventure and fun locations. Since in the book it is shared that the pieces were made from various countries around the world.
While there have been quite a few adaptations of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, ranging from state to screen to even phone games, it’s always nice to see the infamous captain and crew of the Nautilus revisited. Disney’s famous adaptation was a critical and box office success upon release and continues to be both a visual delight and dramatic display of performances.
Disney has actually been attempting to step back into the Nautilus since 2009, with several announcements through the years of a live action remake centering on Captain Nemo that has been continuously on and off production. It is very possible that Nautilus
is the final outcome of this revisit to the character of Captain Nemo, but like any classic, it will always be refreshing to step back into these timeless stories and revisit the characters within. This news comes from THR.