20,000 Leagues writer

Disney has put their big-budget adaptation of 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA: CAPTAIN NEMO on the fast-track and have hired Justin Marks to work on a rewrite of the script. Disney has given Marks four weeks to work with director McG on something called “world building.” This would be the work of fleshing out the deep-sea universe where much of the film takes place. McG is wrapping up work on TERMINATOR SALVATION and Disney wants this project to go into production shortly after that film is done. As soon as the script is finalized, the project will move to all the art and creative designers who will take the film through preproduction. It’s unclear if this project is more a remake of the 1954 film or an adaptation of Jules Verne’s classic novel (or some combination of both). If you might remember, McG told some people at a TERMINATOR presentation that he wanted Will Smith to star as Nemo but admitted he had yet to talk to the actor about it. Marks has STREET FIGHTER: THE LEGEND OF CHUN-LI on the way (which certainly couldn’t have been what got him the job) and also has scripts for MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE and VOLTRON in the works.