Hayley Atwell‘s star is on the rise, thanks to her standout performance in this summer’s Captain America, doing memorable things with a mostly thankless role. Now she’s prepping to join The Return Of Captain Nemo, a $10 million 3D sequel to 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea starring David Morrissey. [Deadline]
Production is set to start on January 16th, to be shot entirely on a studio a la 300, utilizing CG. However, it’s not the big news the name Nemo would suggest. Notice the $10 million pricetag and the modest British star Morrissey. Huge Bonneville (Downtown Abbey) will also star as the titular Nemo.
Atwell will play Sara, the heroine who’s uncle (Morrissey) is the chief advisor to President Ulysses S. Grant. The American government releases Nemo from prison in order to investigate the mysterious goings-on (re: monsters) taking down ships in the Atlantic Sea. This would serve as a strange sequel of sorts to the 1954 Disney film 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea, which starred Kirk Douglas and James Mason. Considering inflation, that film will have cost much, much more than the $10 million this indie epic is getting made for. And let’s not even compare either film to the David Fincher-led remake at Disney, which currently sits with a proposed budget of around $150 million.
What do you think of this project? Does Atwell have the star power to carry a film like this?