One voyage with 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea isn’t enough for Disney, so they’ve decided that they will do another with Nautilus.

"20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" 1954 film poster.
The first voyage itself.

The Hollywood Reporter reported that Disney has ordered a Disney+ adaptation of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea simply called Nautilus. This will apparently be a 10-part live action TV series based on the 1954 film, also by Disney. British companies Moonriver TV and All3Media-owned Seven Stories will produce this series. Xavier Marchand and Anand Tucker from those companies respectively will co-produce this series. James Dormer (Beowulf: Return to the Shieldlands) will write for and executive produce the series, with Johanna Devereaux from Disney will also executive produce it.

Unfortunately, we have no release date for Nautilus. The closest we have to that is an assurance that filming will begin sometime in early 2022. Theoretically, this should indicate a release date in 2023, or 2024 at the latest. We will just have to wait for word from Disney about that later.

Nautilus: Second Dive Into 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

This will always be the classic version though.

In case that wasn’t obvious, Nautilus isn’t the first time Disney has dived into the world of Jules Verne’s 1870 masterpiece of a novel. No, their first voyage was in 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. This 1954 classic starring James Mason as Captain Nemo got critical acclaim, and won the 27th Academy Awards.

Considering how important Nemo is to the story of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea; it’s only fitting that he get the starring role in this upcoming Disney+ series. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Nautilus will “give the famed 19th century novel a new spin, telling the origin story of Captain Nemo and his legendary submarine, the Nautilus“. The full synopsis reads:

An Indian prince robbed of his birthright and family, a prisoner of the East India Company and a man bent on revenge against the forces which have taken everything from him, Nemo set sail with his ragtag crew on board the awe-inspiring vessel, battling foes and discovering magical underwater worlds.

Conclusion

Disney has ordered a second voyage into the world of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea with Nautilus as a 10-part live action Disney+ series. This second dive will feature Captain Nemo in the starring role as it tells his origin story. By extension, it’s that of his submarine too. Filming will start sometime in early 2022, which means a 2023 or 2024 release date. We will just have to wait for Disney to come up with a more specific release date later. That is, if they’re not too busy with a certain lawsuit.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter