#Master and Commander Prequel Is Happening, Will Russell Crowe Return?

Eighteen years after the release of the original movie, 20th Century Studios is developing a new Master and Commander movie. Per Deadline, the studio is moving forward on a new movie adaptation with A Monster Calls writer Patrick Ness writing the script. The project is said to be in its early stages and there isn’t a director or any actors currently attached at this time. It’s also unclear when shooting will tentatively begin, along with the studio’s targeted release window.

Based on the original book series by Patrick O’Brian, Master and Commander was previously adapted into a movie as 2003’s Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World. Directed by Peter Weir and co-written by Weir and John Collee, the movie followed Russell Crowe as Captain Jack Aubrey and his pursuit of a French war vessel on the open waters. Paul Bettany also starred as the ship’s surgeon. The movie grossed more than $211 million at the box office and was nominated for ten Oscars, including Best Director and Best Picture, and won for Best Cinematography.
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Inspired by the book series, the original Master and Commander movie adaptation drew material from three different books penned by O’Brian. The plan at the time was for the movie to spawn a new long-running franchise with so much more source material to fall back on, but a sequel never got off the ground. In 2010, even Crowe himself got in on the attempts to develop a follow-up to Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, but even his pleas fell on deaf ears.

“If you want a Master and Commander sequel I suggest you e-mail Tom Rothman at Fox and let him know your thoughts,” the actor posted to Twitter in December 2010.

If you want a Master and Commander sequel I suggest you e-mail Tom Rothman at Fox and let him know your thoughts

— Russell Crowe (@russellcrowe) December 6, 2010

Reportedly, this new movie adaptation at 20th Century will be based on the first book in the series, following a young Aubrey, “as he is given his first command and also explores how his friendship with his naval surgeon, Stephen Maturin (Bettany), begins.” Because it would serve as a prequel to the 2003 movie, it’s more than likely that new actors would be playing Aubrey and Maturin. It’s also unclear if the new movie will be considered canonical to The Far Side of the World or if it’s intended to spark its own cinematic universe.

Writer Patrick Ness is known for authoring the bestselling book series Chaos Walking, which was recently adapted into a movie with Daisy Ridley and Tom Holland starring. The screenplay was co-written by Ness and Christopher Ford. He also wrote the script for the 2016 movie A Monster Calls, similarly based on his original novel. The screenwriter has also penned the script for an upcoming adaptation of The Lord of the Flies for Warner Bros. and Luca Guadagnino.

There’s no word on when the new Master and Commander might be released. In the meantime, you can stream the 2003 movie adaptation, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, on Amazon Prime Video. You can also look forward to seeing Crowe in the role of Zeus in Thor: Love and Thunder, which just recently wrapped with the actor. This news comes to us from Deadline.

Topics: Master and Commander 2