David Fincher will direct the latest version of the Jules Verne classic in Australia, according to Disney. Photograph: Gero Breloer/AP
Australia is to pay $22.6m (£15m) to ensure a new version 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea is filmed there.
David Fincher, who directed The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo and The Social Network, will direct, said Disney representatives,. No casting decisions had yet been made, they said. Local reports claimed producers were in discussions with Brad Pitt to play the film's hero, Ned Land.
The announcement follows a recent production of The Wolverine, starring Australian actor Hugh Jackman, which was filmed in Sydney after the government paid Fox Studios $13.6m.
The story centres on Captain Nemo and his submarine the Nautilus. Jules Verne's book was made into an Academy Award-winning movie in 1954 with Kirk Douglas starring as Land and James Mason as Nemo. The announcement comes after The Wolverine, starring Australian actor Hugh Jackman, recently wrapped up filming in Sydney. The government paid Fox Studios AU$12.8 million to film in Australia.
Prime minister Julia Gillard said The Wolverine created more than 1,750 jobs, contracted more than 1,027 Australian companies and generated $83.6m in investment. She expects 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea to create more than 2,000 jobs.
A strong Australian dollar has made Australia less attractive to Hollywood as a filmmaking location in recent years. "This … is a huge coup for the Australian film industry and for the near-1,000 local businesses that will be providing goods and services for the film," Gillard said.