Disney+ pulls ‘Nautilus’ & ‘Spiderwick Chronicles’ as cost-cutting bites

Disney+ has pulled UK show Nautilus and The Spiderwick Chronicles from its launch slate despite both shows being shot, as the Mouse House’s cost-cutting plans on content hits screens.

Nautilus was unveiled at the Edinburgh TV Festival in 2021, where it was billed as “a bold, exciting” retelling of the classic Jules Verne novel 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.

Shooting had begun last year in Australia, with Moonriver TV and Seven Stories producing the 10-parter, but it has now been shelved with the show being shopped to other buyers.

The series had been developed and co-produced by Moonriver’s Xavier Marchand and Seven Stories’ Anand Tucker, with James Dormer writing.

It was part of Disney’s commitment to source, develop and produce 50 original productions in Europe by 2024, but the Mouse House has since been looking to slash content costs as losses from streaming mount.

The company said in May it would start pulling shows from the service – and seemingly some of those that had not reached it yet – in a bid to save between $1.5bn – $1.8bn.

The Spiderwick Chronicles pulled from Disney+

A similar fate has US-based show hit The Spiderwick Chronicles, which has also been shelved.

It was being produced by Paramount Television Studios and 20th Television, with the adaptation of the children’s fantasy novels all but completed.

A new buyer is being sought by Paramount, while Disney is looking to focus its attention on shows based on IP from within its stable of brands.

The Spiderwick Chronicles had been shot in Canada and stars Christian Slater, wrapping production earlier this year.

Disney+ is also shifting away from Marvel and Star Wars spin-offs, while it has also been trimming its originals output – the streamer has also recently canclled Doogie Kamealoha MD after two seasons.

Shows on the slate including the upcoming reboot of Doctor Who from BBC Studios.