With next summer’s X-Men: Apocalypse marking his fourth entry into the mutant-verse, Bryan Singer has announced a brief hiatus from Fox’s cinematic universe, with the director taking to Instagram today to confirm that his next project will be Disney’s long-in-development adaptation, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.
Transitioning Jules Verne’s eponymous novel series to the big screen has happened numerous times in the past, though it’s been a process fraught with false starts of late, with the most recent revolving around David Fincher’s stalled project that had set up shop at Disney. While details are scarce on the ground, it would appear likely that Fincher’s rendition will enter production at 20th Century Fox, as the director looks to hope aboard Nautilus and dive deep into the depths of the ocean.
Does that mean that Singer has uprooted and left the X-Men universe behind? Certainly not. As the filmmaker notes on the Instagram post below, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea exists as somewhat of a passion project for him, promising to create an “epic and emotional adventure for all ages,” though he doesn’t rule out a return to the mutant-verse at some point in the future.
With Disney’s big-budget take all but sunk in the water, Bryan Singer will be hoping to act quickly on his version of Jules Verne’s inspiring maritime adventure. Besides, giant sea monsters are all the rage in Hollywood these days, with Warner Bros. and Legendary keen to kick-start a Godzilla V Kong showdown, so perhaps the best addition to the genre right now would be to bring back Verne’s seminal story of Captain Nemo and Co. for a new generation.
Bryan Singer will seemingly write and direct 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, and we’ll keep you updated as this story develops.
