Nemo

Genre: Adventure/Western/Science Fiction.

Studio: Unknown.
Production Company: Unknown.

Project Phase: In Development.

Who's In It: All unconfirmed: Deborah Kara Unger; Ving Rhames; Polly Walker; Udo Kier. We've heard reports that Ralph Fiennes is considering playing Nemo. Please Santa, make our wish come true!
Who's Making It: Christophe Gans (Director); Roger Avary, Christophe Gans, Thierry Cazals (Screenwriters); Samuel Hadida (Producer); Marc Caro (Production Designer); based upon characters created by Jules Verne in his novel Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea.

Premise: Set 20 years before the events in Disney's film and placed during the American Civil War, a young Captain Nemo takes the Nautilus to sea for the first time with a crew composed of blacks and whites. Nemo wants to lead them to an utopian land where all men would live in peace, but secretly his agenda is something else entirely. As Nemo's fascistic and aristocratic views are challenged by a former slave, the tension onboard grows wild between the crew, until it explodes.

Release Date: Unknown.

Comments: It sounds like an interesting idea. Check out Scoop Feedback for additional notes from the scooper who sent us word about this project. Meanwhile, we want to confirm or deny this project exists...anyone out there who could help us?

Rumors: Unknown.

Scoop Feedback:

May 27, 1997... An unknown scooper sent us word about this alleged project in development. Additional information was provided by the individual:

"This promises to be a hard-hitting, politically incorrect look at the youth of Captain Nemo. Christophe Gans's previous films include 1995's Crying Freeman, and The Necronomicon 'The Drowned' sketch. Producer Samuel Hadida was the first guy to buy a Quentin Tarantino script in the world. He produced True Romance, as well as Crying Freeman.

"The first draft has been completed. Filming is slated to begin September 1997. Director Christophe Gans promised this version of Nemo is going to be 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea with Colts, Winchesters, and gunfights!"

As we said, it sounds like a promising idea. Devling into the background of Nemo and the launch of the Nautilus against the backdrop of America's Civil War and slavery period makes this a tantalizing storyline. Let's see if we can get confirmation on it; until then, this film will remain under the 'Movies Rumored' section. [Project announcement and information sent in anonymously.]

June 3, 1997... We verify this project's existence thanks to an on-line mention in French Premiere's on-line magazine and Starburst magazine. To clarify the May 27th scoop, there are three writers credited with the script: director Christophe Gans, Thierry Cazals and Roger Avary. Producer Samuel Hadida also produced Avary's first feature, Killing Zoe. Marc Caro, the co-director of City of Lost Children and Delicatessen, is doing the production designs for the movie. [Thanks to those who helped verify this project: 'Internet Reader' and a anonymous scooper.]

December 2, 1997... Very cool news to report. Ralph Fiennes has scored the lead in the picture, with Deborah Kara Unger also landing an unknown role. Pre-production has already started on the $40 million picture. [Scooped by 'Mister W'.]

December 9, 1997... We're now told by another, different scooper that Ralph Fiennes was considered, but ultimately wasn't signed for the picture. Instead, the anonymous scooper tells us that another "well known" actor has landed the lead and an announcement will be made soon. As well, the scooper reports shooting will begin next spring. [Anonymous.]

Another (different person?) scoop informs that some "amazing FX sequences" have been storyboarded and the shooting is going to start in 1998, for a probable 1999 release. [Anonymous.]

'Karma' reports that when they spoke to Gans at a film festival in Paris about his upcoming projects, the director described Nemo as about the famous captain's childhood (!?). Gans also mentioned he was working on a movie about a young NapolΘon when he was simply a soldier. [Thanks to 'Karma'.]

But not everyone is as pumped about the project as we are. "Hasn't anyone actually read the book by Jules Verne? Or does everyone base their opinion about the character of Nemo on the contrived Disney movie? I fail to see why a movie about racial tension during the civil war (as interesting an idea as it is, served in a different story) needs to involve Captain Nemo. Nowhere in either of the two books which portray Captain Nemo ('20,000 Leagues Under the Sea' or 'Mysterious Island') is it shown that the Captain is racist or fascist. Quite the opposite. He is a person who has lost his family and country to British Imperialism, and seeks to see justice done against the Imperialist powers of the US and Britain. Why not make a movie that is TRUE to the book instead of creating something that has nothing to do with the actual character of Nemo. It destroys a great character, a man who has endured tragedy and now separates himself from the world behind a wall of steel. A man who has served as a template for many other great characters like Doctor Doom and Darth Vader (whose flaws and merits are their own), just to name a few. If this project goes ahead as planned, it will fail as horribly as The Scarlet Letter and the TV movie based upon '20,000 Leagues' which tried to turn it into a romance story. It will fail because it will not be true to the orginal work." [Sent in under the pseudonym of 'Doctor Doom'.]

June 7, 1998... We're told that Gans' Nemo project is still steaming ahead. Our scooper at Cannes told us that the film's production company, Odyssey, ran a full-page ad for the flick with a starting date of November. Deborah Kara Unger is still is on the Nautilus and now Ving Rhames has arrived. There also might be the chance for Mark Dacascos (from Gans' Crying Freeman adaptation) to make a cameo.

The film may shoot in Pinewood Studios, which is owned by Ridley and Tony Scott. Apparently it would've proved to have been too costly to shoot in the U.S., and since Gans' producer, Samuel Hadida, is a close friend of Tony Scott (Hadida produced True Romance), chances are good the pic will shoot at Pinewood. Winona Ryder read the script, likes it, and wanted $2 million. Commenting on the actress' estimate, Gans reportedly said: "Forget her, I prefer put this money in creaton of my octopus!"

But the biggest issue now facing the production team is supposedly Disney's "incredibly thick list" of forbidden material to include in Gans' film. While the scooper didn't go into specifics on what material per se, they said that if Gans' were to place some of the objectionable material in the film, Disney and Gans may be open to the possibility of a lawsuit. ['Totoro's Cupboard', thanks for the fun time!]

September 7, 1998... This scooper said it's right from the mouth of Gans, but we've got no way to confirm that -- so take what we're about to print with a grain of salt until we can confirm it. Since The Avengers bombed, apparently Ralph Fiennes is again interested in playing Captain Nemo. The scooper also mentions that two more actors have signed on, Polly Walker and Udo Kier. ['agenceaplus' was our lookout.]

Finally, another scooper has sent us what they claim to be is the latest story outline for Gans' Nemo. It's very detailed and very cool, so we're issuing a HEAVY SPOILERS WARNING. You have to swipe the blank space below with your mouse if you wish to read it. But we've warned you: if this is legit, you'll know what happens!

If you don't want to unwrap the Christmas present but still want to know if you should look forward to this one, read on. We thought that the plot outline was damn cool. Our logic sensors got us a little worried when we read of scenes where improbable giant-sized sea creatures do battle with the Nautilus; in a lot of filmmakers' hands, this is the part where all that they've built before with the audience must pay off here. You believe James Mason and Kirk Douglas are fighting off a giant squid in Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea because their characters and their world have been faithfully presented to the viewer and you're swept up in the story. We're hoping that in Gans' hands this will also be the case.

For us, the Nemo synopsis reads like a combination of Gone With the Wind-style grandeur set in the Verne universe, woven with the human darkness that was at the heart of Alan Parker's Mississipi Burning. If you ask us, any project that's set against a Victorian setting, especially one that uses Verne or H.G. Wells' writings, but made on the cusp of the twenty-first century would kick some ass. Can you imagine a Ralph Fiennes Nemo battling gunships and sea monsters on the high seas, issuing orders from inside the Nautilus, rocked by explosions and rising emotions? Man, we're are so there!

Overall, the premise is solid on presenting the adventure and action aspects. However, aside from the hero/villain story arc, the remaining romantic/dramatic elements the scooper discusses (Nemo's romantic affairs, the loyal right-hand man also loving Nemo's woman, the freed slave seeking revenge, etc.) are mentioned in passing and nothing more. That means we can't comment on the characterization aspect of the charaters, which is a shame 'cuz we'd like to know if the three screenwriters pulled it off. From the outline the scooper shared with us, we'd be damn interested in reading this script.

Our professional opinion is that this synopsis paints a promising picture for the project. If you ask the kid in us, we're drooling to see the first voyage of the Nautilus, giant aquatic beasts, lost continents and a younger, meaner Nemo kicking ass on the high seas. Here's hoping the picture satisfies both aspects within ourselves.

"On the eve of the American Civil War, young Captain Nemo is accused of treason.

"His home is burnt to the ground, and his mistress murdered. The cause of this devastation is less political than personal: Reed Bishop, a naval officer and an upstanding Southern gentleman, is not just angered by the attention his fiancee, the beautiful and selfish Olivia Wilton, pays to Nemo, he is infuriated to discover that Nemo has become the lover of his former mistress, Maureen Stewart. A duel is the result. Nemo wins, for his skill as a swordsman is far superior to Reed's. He has been taught by his best man, Bosko, a man with a mysterious past and a man whose passionate heart is torn by his love for Nemo and Nemo's mistress, Maureen.

"Thus, in the course of a single evening, Reed is upstaged by his arch-rival not once, but three times over. He sets out to destroy the man utterly, and is aided in his project by Juno Wilton, Olivia's stepmother.

"Morning hasn't come but Nemo humiliates Reed yet again, defying the whole regiment of soldiers sent to capture him, and destroying a fleet of ships as he escapes in his famous submarine, the Nautilus. As she frees the ship from its moorings, Maureen dies, a bullet in her heart. Both Nemo and Bosko mourn her, but Bosko must keep the terrible secret of his love to himself. The Nautilus thus begins its maiden voyage, its course is that of the Albatross- the ship Nemo's long-lost father set sail on when Nemo was just a boy.

"By an accident of fate, Olivia finds herself aboard the submarine. Although obviously in love with Nemo, Olivia is confused by her attraction to him, and upon the Nautilus' arrival on the Yutacan coast, she secretly follows him into the wild jungle. She watches as he uncovers a strange obelisk, then makes several calculations. Her foray ends in disaster when a group of fierce headhunters appear, and chase them back to the beach. But further troubles await in the form of a surprise attack from Reed's gunboat which is racing toward the Nautilus, intent on capturing it. Nemo wins his ship, but just barely, and not before the gunboat totally damages the submarine's rudder. Nemo blames Olivia. Bosko, however, blames Chaka, a former slave, for not keeping his eye on the girl when he was told to.

"As Nemo and Chaka repair the rudder, they are attacked by giant moray eels. Chaka's bravery and quick thinking save Nemo, and the captain promises to grant the man any wish he is able to. Chaka, a headstrong rebel, asks Nemo to destroy an empty slave ship on its way to the African coast. Nemo grants his wish, but the act of wanton destruction tears something loose inside him: Nemo and Olivia, inspired by the violence that has turned them into outlaws, make love with passionate abandon.

"When they enter the Sargasso Sea the next day, all hope and thought of normal life seems impossible. The place is a graveyard, filled with ships of all origins, from all ages. The crew is filled superstitious fear, and Nemo with a strange foreboding. First mate Bosko quells the sailors' fears by exciting their greed: the abandonned ships may be filled with ghosts, but they must be filled with treasures, too. Meanwhile, Nemo has discovered the second Obelisk, and nearby, the whitened bones of his father. There is no sign of the Albatross crew, and Nemo cannot understand what could have happened to them. How did his father die? The answer is not long in coming: the sailors have stepped inside a nest of giant spider crabs. As they run back to the ship, pursued by dozens of these horrifying creatures, Nemo destroys them with the Nautilus guns. Bosko is grievously wounded and unable to fulfill his duties as first mate. He chooses Chaka to replace him.

"The search for the last Obelisk reveals the fate of Nemo's rival. Reed's ship has been destroyed, his men murdered by pirates, but Reed and Juno have been taken for ransom. Nemo has no intention of rescuing his enemies, but Olivia will not abandon her stepmother. Deliberately going against his wishes, she sets out in one of the small boats for the pirate's corsair.

"Now, Nemo is forced to rescue Olivia, and forced to put the lives of his men into extreme danger in order to save the life of a man he despises. He makes Reed and Juno his prisoners. He shuns Olivia, and isolates himself. His father's death has cut him deeply, and he is now more than ever obsessed by his secret plan to take the Nautilus on the journey his father never completed.

:But his melancholy estranges him from his crew, pushing them to the verge of mutiny. It is then that Nemo finds what he and his father before him have been looking for: the lost continent of Atlantis. After a fantastic axplosion destroys the cone of an ancient volcano, the waters reveal the face of an amazing empire. Nemo is deeply disillusioned to discover that Atlantis was as barbaric and blood thirsty as it was sophisticated and scientific. It is a culture no different from his own.

"Meanwhile Reed, true to nature, schemes and plots to possess the Nautilus for his own use. He murders Nemo's innocent stepdaughter, Savannah. Her blood spilled on the sand seems to raise the very spirit of evil, a monstrous giant squid from the depths of a pit that once was the site of human sacrifice. It attacks Nemo and his crew but Reed, the murderer, is the first man to die. Juno also dies, drowned in a sea of mud.

"Nemo battles the unholy creature, eventually killing it with an electrified harpoon.

"The story ends with Nemo, Olivia and their unborn child sailing off to explore their underwater empire."

The scooper also said that a figure of $70 million is a good one to mention budget wise...

[A treasure from the deep brought to the surface by 'Totoro's Cupboard', who we think still has one of the neatest pseudonyms we've seen around these parts.]

September 8, 1998... Our Nemo scooper returns from the sea to follow-up with some more treasure they unearthed about the project. "Two things separate Gans from shooting:

"1 - he has to save $4 million dollars (the budget seems, at last, to get close to 45 M$)

"2 - he still hasn't found who's gonna be his Nemo. Even with the shadow of Ralph Fiennes stayin' in the neighborhood...

"Anyway, Pinewood is waiting for the crew on early February 99." Let's hope things work themselves out. [Thanks again to 'Totoro's Cupboard'.]

September 20, 1998... 'Internet.reader' surfaced off the coast of Maine to beam us in these tidbits...

"The news you got are accurate, apart from the Fiennes thing, Ralph isn't interested at all for now it seems... Nemo may be another more notorious actor, but it's all in the talking stage, nothing concrete yet. Roger Avary only did minor writing on the script. Also the Winona Ryder rumor is all bull... It may come from some fan who suggested her to [G]ans, and [G]ans replyed that, but nothing official, it was only private talk, if it happened at all. If Gans get his way, this movie will KICK ASS BIG TIME, and the whole world will know how great a director he is!" [Special thanks to 'Internet.reader.']

January 14, 1999... Our last scooper surfaced off the coast of Canada last night and made contact for a night meeting to take place. But when we arrived at the designated spot on the docks there was no one there.

Suddenly a voice that seemed to be coming from around us said these words:

"I checked, and it appears Wynona Rider really was interested in playing in the picture, but her price tag is too expensive for the movie budget.

"This is an ambitious action adventure romance period piece, and Gans apparently really wants the $40 million to be seen on screen.

"The movie will be shot in Tony and Ridley Scott owned Pinewood studios in England, hopefully this summer, though no date have been set yet.

"Gans seems to be waiting for the right lead to come. Although I agree with you all that Fiennes would be nice, no one have been signed yet.

"Now, this is just my opinion, but I don't understand what is going on in lead actors minds. This movie will be a blast, as the synopsis you posted give us a glimpse. That no lead have been signed just tells you how without clue regular English/Americans actors and their agents are.

"They all complain about not finding enough good parts, and yet, here's a great part, which no lead actor want to come near, just because this is not a big budgeted $100 millions + movie directed by a hired hand in service of the production.

"This situation is surrealistic!"

With that final sentence, the voice ceased speaking. We waited a moment and then trepidaciously called out a greeting. There was another moment of silence...and then we definitely heard the sound of something submerging itself underwater...but for just a second we swore that we heard the sound of machinery. [Which port does the 'Internet Reader' call their home?]

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