Randall Wallace To Rewrite McG’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

We already know that McG will direct “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea: Captain Nemo” for Disney but the news is that the Oscar nominated writer Randall Wallace (”Braveheart,” “The Man in the Iron Mask,” “Pearl Harbor,” “We Were Soldiers“) will rewrite the script penned by Justin Marks (”Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li“) and Bill Marsilii (”Deja Vu“).

This new adaptation of Jules Verne’s classic “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea” will tell the origin of Captain Nemo and his submarine warship, the Nautilus. Nemo is a mysterious but noble antagonist in the book, a scientific genius with a thirst for knowledge and a desire for revenge against the forces of imperialism.

The 1954 original “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea” was the first live-action film made by Walt Disney, who famously bet his studio on a movie best remembered for the giant squid scene. It became the second-highest grossing film that year and won three Oscars. Captain Nemo played by James Mason and Ned Land by Kirk Douglas.

Will Smith Is The Last Pharaoh

Will Smith

Will Smith, the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, will star in “The Last Pharaoh,” a historical epic from Braveheart screenwriter Randall Wallace, Variety reports.

The script is being written as a vehicle for Will Smith, who is the one that brought the story to Wallace, and has been interested in playing the pharaoh for quite a while. As well, it is worth noting that Wallace is the third screenwriter to be brought onto the project at Smith’s Overbrook Entertainment. The original script was written by “Devil in a Blue Dress” scribe Carl Franklin, with “Never Back Down” writer Chris Hauty being brought in to do some polishing earlier this year.

“Last Pharaoh” is said to resolve around the battle between Taharqa, a member of Egypt’s 25th dynasty, and Esarhaddon, Assyrian leader who seeks to invade Egypt. The war between the two ignited in 677 B.C. and lasted even until the death of Esarhaddon. Though this epic drama project is entitled “Last Pharaoh”, Taharqa was not the last Pharaoh of Egypt. In reality, the last Pharaoh is Cleopatra VII.

Smith next stars for Columbia in “Seven Pounds,” a re-team with “Pursuit of Happyness” director Gabriele Muccino that Overbrook produced with Escape Artists.

As of right now, there is no target start date for the project, but we will keep an eye out for you.