The Return of Captain Nemo was a 1978 science fiction TV movie directed by Alex March and Paul Stader, and loosely based on characters and settings from Jules Verne's novel Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. It was written by six writers including Robert Bloch. During naval exercises in 1978 Captain Nemo is found in suspended animation aboard his submarine Nautilus beneath the Pacific Ocean. Revived by members of a modern day US Government agency, Nemo is persuaded to rescue United States interests and in so doing battle Professor Cunningham, a typical mad scientist played by Burgess Meredith. Not originally aired as a movie, it was broken into three parts, expanded somewhat with about 45 minutes of additional footage over the three episodes to become a very brief action series. Sometimes described as a "miniseries," it was intended to be the first story-arc in an ongoing serial. Ratings were dismal, and the series never materialized. Instead this proved to be Irwin Allen's final foray into weekly science fiction television. The film was a co-production between Irwin Allen Productions and Warner Bros. Television. It was distributed by CBS Television but was also released theatrically as The Amazing Captain Nemo.