No 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea

Fincher had been attached to direct a reboot of “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea” for Disney. Sources say there is still a possibility he could do that project next and hold off on “Gone Girl.” In October, Variety first reported that Disney had placed a three-month hold on the director as it decided whether to move forward. During this time, Fincher began courting his frequent collaborator Brad Pitt for the role of Ned Land, played by Kirk Douglas in the 1954 film version of “Leagues.”

The Pitt casting never came though, and the studio is still deciding what to do with the project, insiders say. Fincher had begun looking for other projects in case “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea” fell through.

Fincher is also still attached to helm “Dragon Tattoo” sequel “The Girl Who Played With Fire,” and Sony wants to get the next installment off the ground. Screenwriter Steve Zaillian is currently working on a pilot for HBO and hasn’t had time to pen the script, one reason Fincher was looking for other projects until a script is ready.

After a diverse bunch of adaptations including “Fight Club,” “Zodiac,” “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” and “The Social Network,” Fincher’s adaptation of bestseller “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” for Sony grossed more than $230 million worldwide.

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