A fully-filmed Nautilus series is the new victim of Disney's cost-cutting drive
Disney's ongoing pursuit of cost-cutting measures has struck again, this time leading to the cancellation of the highly anticipated "Nautilus," a streaming series centered around Captain Nemo's origin story. This decision was made even before the scheduled premiere of the show.
Similar to the fate of the previously axed adaptation of The Spiderwick Chronicles, Disney has pulled the plug on its UK-based Disney+ series, "Nautilus." The series, which draws inspiration from Jules Verne's renowned work "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea," is now facing a disappointing end. Despite the completion of filming for its inaugural season, the series will never see the light of day.
As part of the content streaming removal strategy unveiled in May, Disney is implementing this move, resulting in an impairment charge estimated between $1.5 billion and $1.8 billion. This decision follows Disney's February announcement of a company-wide plan to slash non-sports content expenses by $3 billion.
According to a recent update from Deadline, Disney has chosen to cancel the show "Nautilus" despite its first season being fully filmed. Production for the series began in Australia early the previous year. Disney's new plan involves shopping the series to alternative companies with the hope of recouping a portion of the incurred losses. Allegedly, discussions and negotiations are currently underway.
Disney's path in line with Warner Bros?
Disney's cost-saving endeavors are starting to mirror those of Warner Bros. Discovery, a company known for abandoning completed projects in pursuit of financial benefits. An illustrative case is the live-action Batgirl film from DC, which garnered considerable attention before being scrapped.
In recent months, a number of exclusive series and special programs have been removed from both Disney+ and Hulu. Additionally, Disney's CEO, Bob Iger, revealed a reduction in the production of new Marvel and Star Wars content for Disney+. This approach reflects the strategies employed by Warner Bros. Discovery to streamline operations and optimize expenditures.
Halting production midway
"Nautilus," after wrapping up filming for its entire first season, now finds itself in limbo. Production kicked off in Australia in February 2022. Currently, Disney+ is collaborating with the production team to find an alternate platform for "Nautilus," with active discussions and screenings underway.
The unveiling of "Nautilus" took place during the 2021 Edinburgh TV Festival, where two other new original UK series for Disney+ were also introduced. There is no indication that other original UK productions will be affected by these changes.
Within Disney+'s lineup of scripted and unscripted content in the UK, several projects are in progress. These include "Culprits" by J Blakeson, "Jilly Cooper’s Rivals," "A Thousand Blows" featuring Stephen Graham, and the upcoming documentary "In Vogue" by Coleen Rooney, all eagerly awaiting release.