Nautilus: Disney+ Pulling the Plug on New Captain Nemo Series After Already Filming Season 1

The cost-cutting efforts continue for Disney, as the House of Mouse cancelled plans for yet another streaming series before it could get the chance to premiere. The company recently axed its adaptation of The Spiderwick Chronicles, despite the fact that the first season had already been filmed. Now, a UK-based Disney+ series is suffering the same fate. Nautilus, an origin story of Captain Nemo from Jules Verne’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, is being given the boot.

According to a new report from Deadline, Disney has cancelled Nautilus even though the first season is already complete. Production on the series started in Australia early last year. Disney will be shopping the series to other companies, hoping it will be able to sell Nautilus and recoup some of the losses. Meetings and screenings are reportedly already underway.

Disney’s cost-cutting measures are starting to mirror those of Warner Bros. Discovery, which shelved already completed projects as tax write-offs. DC’s live-action Batgirl movie was the highest profile project to get canned.

Disney+ Price Hike

In addition to scaling back its original programming, Disney+ is also going to be raising its prices once again in the near future. The streaming service, which famously launched at a price point of $6.99 per month, is about to cost $13.99 per month, beginning later this year.

“Our pricing strategy this year alone, we’ve raised prices in nearly 50 countries around the world to better reflect the value of our product offerings and the impact on churn and retention has outperformed our expectations,” Disney CEO Bob Iger said during an earnings call earlier this month. “Later today, we will release details regarding upcoming streaming price increases … Maintaining access to our content for as broad an audience as possible is top of mind for us. Which is why pricing for our standalone ad supported Disney plus and Hulu offerings will remain unchanged.”

In addition to the increase in price for Disney+, the Disney-owned Hulu is also raising its prices. The ad-free version of Hulu will soon cost $17.99 on a monthly basis.