McG Ready to Dive “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea”

Here’s the submarine Nautilus in the 1954 “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.” What will McG’s version look like?

The MTV Movies Blog heard from director McG that his future plans include a new version of “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.”

“20,000 Leagues Under the Sea” was written by Jules Verne, the 19th century writer who some credit as the first sci-fi novelist. It’s about the crew of a ship who while fighting a monster at sea, get thrown overboard into the deep. There they meet Captain Nemo, pilot of the submarine Nautilus. Nemo is an evil genius, who has plans for, well, controlling the world.

There have been other film adaptations, but the most famous is probably the 1954 version, which starred Kirk Douglas as sailor Ned Land and James Mason as Nemo. I know I’ve seen sections of this, but all I remember is Mason and his fantabulously distinctive speaking voice. Go listen to some Jame Mason right now if you never have.

I guess filming this summer’s “Terminator Salvation” in dry New Mexico put him in the mood for water. McG says: “I think it is so interesting that 7/10ths of Earth is water, and so few people know anything about what is going on beneath its surface.”

Indeed. He also is fascinated by “the anti-hero Nemo.” That’s all well and good, but I can’t even imagine who will take Mason’s place. Okay, I’ll just toss a name out there: Kenneth Branagh. There you go, something to ponder while you read your Jules Verne tonight.