Nautilus on Disney+ will be a 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea prequel

Fleshing out the past of the captain is something many adaptations have chosen to do, including the novel's original sequel, The Mysterious Island. This is partially due to the interesting real-world history of the character's development, who was initially conceived as a Polish nobleman whose family was murdered by Russians.

Russia and France were allies at the time of publication, so references to this were removed and an alternate origin was implied. Verne later changed things entirely, revealing Nemo's identity as a deposed East Indian prince. This characterization stuck with most adaptations, but the open ended nature of the original novel led to some deviations.

So far one script and further outlines exist, with production set to begin in 2022. Cast and crew have yet to be attached to the project, and since Disney has a history of false starts with attempts to return to 20,000 Leagues, we'll believe it when we see it. If we had to guess, the story will depict the traumatic event that leads to Nemo's self-imposed exile and the development of the Nautilus craft itself.

Nautilus has no projected release date, but will be exclusive to Disney+.