Variety is reporting that Universal Pictures made a preemptive purchase of Moby Dick, a reimagining of the Herman Melville whale tale that Timur Bekmambetov (Wanted, Day & Night Watch) will direct.

The writers revere Melville’s original text, but their graphic novel-style version will change the structure. Gone is the first-person narration by the young seaman Ishmael, who observes how Ahab’s obsession with killing the great white whale overwhelms his good judgment as captain.

This change will allow them to depict the whale’s decimation of other ships prior to its encounter with Ahab’s Pequod, and Ahab will be depicted more as a charismatic leader than a brooding obsessive.

"Our vision isn’t your grandfather’s Moby Dick," the writers say. "This is an opportunity to take a timeless classic and capitalize on the advances in visual effects to tell what at its core is an action-adventure revenge story."

Bekmambetov is currently working on a sequel script for the planned trilogy of the James McAvoy film Wanted.

Let's hope it's nothing like Wolfgang Peterson's re-imagining of Poseidon, because we think that would be bad news for everyone. Here's to hoping Bekmambetov doesn't turn into an Ahab himself.

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