David Fincher explains why his remake of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea sank at Disney

Director David Fincher he is known for his intricate and detailed storytelling and filmmaking skills. From Fight club, ZodiacAND The social networkhis films have redefined genres and pushed boundaries.

So when I first heard he was going to direct a Disney remake 20,000 Leagues Under the SeaI was more than excited. Fincher seemed like the perfect choice to make That of Jules Verne classic novel to bold new depths.

Unfortunately, that vision never saw the light of day, and Fincher recently shed some light on why the project failed.

In an interview with Letterboxd, Fincher detailed the creative clashes with Disney that ultimately scuttled the project. “I really wanted to do it Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea because what we had in mind was really gross and cool and dank and steampunk and everything in between.

But the ambitious, dark tone he envisioned wasn’t in line with Disney’s priorities. He said: “Disney was at a point where they said, ‘We need to know that there’s something that we know how to exploit from nose to tail, and you’re going to have to check these boxes for us.’”

For Fincher, the heart of Verne’s novel lies in its anti-imperialist themes and Captain Nemo’s compelling backstory.

He said: “You’ve read Jules Verne, right? This is the story of an Indian prince who has serious problems with white imperialism, and that’s what we want to do.”

Disney’s response? “Yes, yes, good. As long as there’s a lot less of it.” Then, it became clear that Disney wasn’t willing to embrace the vision that Fincher was excited about. He said, “You can’t get people excited about the risks you’re excited about.”

This wasn’t the first time a remake of the 1954 Disney classic had faced troubled waters. Before Fincher, director McG was attached in 2009, considering similar stars Will Smith AND Sam Worthington for the role of Captain Nemo.

When McG’s version fell apart, Fincher came on board in 2010, collaborating with the writer Scott Z. Burns. But the hiccups and creative differences with Disney became an obstacle impossible to overcome. In 2013, Fincher left the project, moving on to direct Gone girl Instead.

Reflecting on his decision to leave, Fincher said: “Look, I can’t mess this up, and I don’t want you to find out at the premiere what you financed. It doesn’t make any sense because it will just keep us pulling our teeth for the next two years. And I don’t want to do that. I mean, life is too short.

Fincher eventually found a way to explore his nautical narrative, saying, “I got to do ‘Bad Traveling’ on Netflix, and this scratched that itch.” He’s referring to his Love, death and robots episode. “I was fine just doing that.”

Since Fincher’s departure, the journey to take 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea Getting back on screen has continued to be a bumpy road. James Mangold he took over briefly in 2016, planning a film titled Captain Nemobut left to lead Indiana Jones and the Quadrant of Destiny.

More recently, the story was adapted as a series titled Nautilusfocused on the origins of Nemo. While initially approved by Disney+, it was dropped when they implemented cost-cutting measures.

Andrew Kevin Walker, a frequent collaborator of Fincher, had previously spoken about the project, saying that the film “was very close to being made. It would have been the greatest film.” Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea you might imagine. It would have been a movie where parents would have been as amazed as the kids.”

Fincher had previously spoken about the aspect of the projectL “Dude, it was [frick]How wonderful. It was smart, crazy entertainment, with the crew of the Nautilus fighting all kinds of giant Ray Harryhausen things. But it also had this tide.

“We were playing Osama bin Nemo, a Middle Eastern prince from a wealthy family who has decided that white imperialism is evil and must be opposed. The idea was to put kids in a position where they would say, “I agree with everything he espouses.” I disagree with his means… or his ends.”

“I really wanted to do it, but in the end I didn’t have the courage to do it. Many people thrive in Hollywood studios because they are fear-based. I have a hard time relating to this, because I feel like our greatest responsibility is to give the audience something they’ve never seen.”

It’s disappointing that Fincher never got to make this film.