website tracking
Search The Big Picture


« Rachel McAdams Not Playing Black Cat in 'Spidey 4' | Main | Anna Faris, Ryan Reynolds to Star in 'TMI' »
Tuesday
17Nov2009

Insert Sailing Pun Here: McG's 'Captain Nemo' Sinks

DateTuesday, November 17, 2009 at 11:51AM
Another tough pill to swallow for McG, the director commonly blamed for the so-so performance of and the often caustic reaction to Terminator Salvation: His Captain Nemo: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea has capsized.

Variety says that the film has been put on hold by Disney, less than three months before it was scheduled to go into production. And, what's more, McG is off the project for good. I didn't see that coming at all.

This could all tie to Disney's other waterborne project, Pirates 4, which Nine director Rob Marshall confirmed recently he would be directing. Why that prospect bothers some people, I have no idea. But with The Black Pearl heading back on the water, almost certain to be a mammoth success (especially since The House of Mouse is committing less money to it to bring the series back down to Earth), a submerged McG flick may seem like a risk not worth taking, at least not in the same calendar year.

Will Smith was rumored to star, but nobody was ever made official for the cast. That, too, could have played into the decision to put this one on the shelf. Who goes into a gargantuan, effects-laden summer tentpole without a star in place 90 days ahead of time? No matter how much Disney has spent on the project already, it's safer and more financially prudent to get more pieces in place before the film rolls into production.

Plus, I think you can find a director as good as McG without paying the sticker price, and if you think studios are less willing to splurge on A-list actors than they used to, what do you think that means for directors?

AuthorColin Boyd | | in , , , | Print ArticlePrint Article | | CommentPost a Comment |

Reader Comments

There are no comments for this journal entry. To create a new comment, use the form below.

PostPost a New Comment

Enter your information below to add a new comment.

My response is on my own website »
Author Email (optional):
Author URL (optional):
Post:
 
Some HTML allowed: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <code> <em> <i> <strike> <strong>