Disney+ recently ordered a new 10-part live-action series called Nautilus, inspired by Jules Verne's underwater adventure epic 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.
Like the original novel, the series will tell the origin story of the infamous Captain Nemo and his submarine, The Nautilus. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the project will be produced by U.K. banners Moonriver TV and All3Media-owned Seven Stories.
"Jules Verne's story is a beloved classic all around the world,” said Johanna Devereaux, director of scripted original content for EMEA at Disney+. "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 on-screen characters. The series will be breathtaking, action-packed and a huge amount of fun."
Disney first tackled Verne's sea epic when it adapted the novel for the 1954 film 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, which starred James Mason as Nemo and Kirk Douglas as harpooner Ned Land. Other works by Verne that have been adapted for film by Disney include In Search of the Castaways (1962) and Around the World in 80 Days (1956, 2004).
The Nautilus series is being developed and co-produced by Xavier Marchand of Moonriver TV and Seven Stories' Anand Tucker. Nautilus is written and executive produced by James Dormer (Beowulf: Return to the Shieldlands). Devereaux will also executive produce the new series and casting details will be revealed at a later date.
Disney+ first announced Nautilus during the 2021 Edinburgh TV Festival as part of the streaming platform's initiative to commission 50 projects from the U.K. by 2024. Nautilus joins a list of 13 other titles announced by Disney in early 2021, which includes projects from the U.K., France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands. David Beckham also recently signed on to appear on a new unscripted series for the platform.
The announcement also came just days after Disney+ reported it currently has 116 million subscribers, surpassing Wall Street's initial prediction that the streaming platform would reach 115 million subscribers by the end of the year's third quarter. Disney also revealed it will celebrate the success of its streaming platform with Disney+ Day on Nov. 12. While no details about the event have yet to be announced, it's expected to include news and fresh footage for upcoming Disney+ programming.
In other Disney+ news, the platform dropped a new trailer for Cruella in celebration of the film's non-Premier Access debut. The "Queen of Mean" teaser highlights some of Emma Stone's most snarky moments as Cruella de Vil in the film, and confirms the origin story will be free to stream for all subscribers starting Friday, Aug. 27.
Source: THR