20,000 Leagues Under the Sea will be getting a face lift from Disney, but McG won't have anything to do with it. David Fincher, the Academy Award-nominated director of Fight Club, Se7en, and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, is in negotiations with Disney to direct a film based on the 1869 Jules Verne classic, with writer Scott Z. Burns (The Bourne Ultimatum), according to THR's Heat Vision blog.
The project will also attempt to be visually striking. Since Burns still has to write the script, Fincher will have enough time on his hands to direct another film if he so wishes prior to working on this project. The first "Leagues" film, which was also produced by Disney, was released in 1954 with Kirk Douglas in the leading role.
Disney has wanted to reboot "Leagues" for quite some time. It has been several months since Disney ditched the plan for McG (Charlie's Angels, Terminator: Salvation) to direct because his telling was to be a bit darker than Disney had wanted, and apparently Fincher has desired to try his hand at more family-friendly fare.
Disney wants a new take on the story, and Fincher is a visually striking director with a unique sense of how to make a great film. In other words, if anyone is perfect for revamping "Leagues," it is Fincher. He's actually the latest in a trend of putting Oscar-caliber directors in mainstream blockbusters, the most recent being Bill Condon in The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn and Rob Marshall directing the fourth "Pirates" movie. With Disney being in charge of the latter, it would be no surprise if they're looking for a similar comedy adventure from "Leagues." There is no current timetable for the movie, but in all likelihood it wouldn't be untill 2012 at the earliest.
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Disney wants a new take on the story, and Fincher is a visually striking director with a unique sense of how to make a great film. In other words, if anyone is perfect for revamping "Leagues," it is Fincher. He's actually the latest in a trend of putting Oscar-caliber directors in mainstream blockbusters, the most recent being Bill Condon in The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn and Rob Marshall directing the fourth "Pirates" movie. With Disney being in charge of the latter, it would be no surprise if they're looking for a similar comedy adventure from "Leagues." There is no current timetable for the movie, but in all likelihood it wouldn't be untill 2012 at the earliest. 
