Scene from the Richard Fleischer-directed 1954 version of Disneys 20000 Leagues Under the Sea

Disney has contracted Braveheart writer Randall Wallace to rewrite Captain Nemo: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, a new feature film based on the Jules Verne classic tale. Terminator Salvation director McG is attached to helm the film. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Wallace will rewrite a screenplay originally drafted by Bill Marsilii and Justin Marks.

Captain Nemo will flesh out the origins of title character 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, according to reports. In Verne’s lesser-known sequel, The Mysterious Island, Nemo is revealed as Indian Prince Dakkar, a rajah’s son who took part in a failed rebellion and lost his family. The film’s tone will be action-adventure.

The original 1954 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea was the first live-action film made by Disney. It became the second-highest-grossing film that year, won three Oscars and has been the basis for various rides at Disney theme parks through the years.

The studio hopes to start production on the new film sometime this year.

Wallace recently completed a script for the film Atlas Shrugged, based on the 1957 Ayn Rand novel about a powerful railroad executive who struggles to keep her business alive while society crumbles around her.