McG to direct "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea"

When I heard that McG was directing "Nemo" for Disney, I thought, cool! They’re making a sequel to "Finding Nemo."

Nope, it’s "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea: Captain Nemo," a family film being fast tracked by the studio. I’m still holding out hope for a "Finding Nemo" sequel, but this sounds like a fun movie, too.

It’ll be a departure for McG, who most recently helmed "Terminator: Salvation," which had multiple studios vying for his next project. Sean Bailey ("Tron") is producing with McG’s Wonderland Sound and Vision.

Penned by Bill Marsilli, the film will tell the beginning of the famous Captain Nemo, and how he created his warship, the Nautilus. The characters come from the Jules Verne novel.

The original 1954 film 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. And if you’ve been to a Disney theme park in recent years, you’ve probably seen some of the various Nemo rides.

Disney hopes to begin production this year.

Image: McG, We Are Marshall, Warner Bros., 2006