Despite persistent reports that director David Fincher was looking to again team up with Brad Pitt for his 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, THR now reports that those rumors were “incorrect” and Pitt is not attached to the project. The outlet blames “local reports” which, paired with the news that the project may film in Australia, conjure up images of charming small-town Oz papers filled with breathless buzz that Pitt might be coming to an ocean near them, though the first news of potential casting came out of Variety.
The news that Pitt is not set to lead the project doesn’t come with any further casting speculation, but with such a giant potential tentpole production at stake, it’s reasonable to assume that Disney and Fincher will still be looking for another big star to lead the project.
THR also reports that the Australian government is on deck to offer up Disney a generous locations rebate that would amount to nearly $20m in savings for the massive project. Disney executives are reportedly finalizing the deal before giving the long-gestating project the green light.