History proves that one good turn deserves another

It led to one of the most pioneering projects in US movie history, culminating in an all-star cast combining to create The Towering Inferno, arguably the daddy of that decade's penchant for overblown disaster movies.

The Towering Inferno, with its gaggle of heroes and victims, led by Steve McQueen and Paul Newman, was notable for the staggering co-operation that led to its creation.

Faced with the knowledge that they were each prepping movies set in burning high-rise buildings, Warner Bros and 20th Century Fox partnered to bring off a star-packed extravaganza.

Thus McQueen, Newman Fred Astaire and William Holden propped up the rest of the 24-carat ensemble – Robert Wagner, Faye Dunaway, Jennifer Jones, Robert Vaughn, Richard Chamberlain and OJ Simpson, among others. And it was a whopping hit.

Yet Hollywood appears to have a short memory when it comes to making logical decisions. Fifteen years later, two rival productions of the Robin Hood legend went into production. Kevin Costner's Robin Hood – Prince of Thieves won the battle. Who today remembers Robin Hood starring Patrick Bergin?

Then there was the case of Dangerous Liaisons and Valmont. Recently, Infamous went head-to-head with Capote.

Now news is seeping out of Los Angeles that David Fincher, he of Seven, Fight Club and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button fame, is eyeing up the potential of Jules Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.

The last version starred Kirk Douglas and James Mason in 1954, so a remake is justifiably on the cards. And with Fincher at the helm, it'll doubtless be interesting.

But, wait a minute… what's this? Do we see the prospect of another, rival, version on the slate of another studio? Indeed we do. Disney (with Fincher) and Fox (via Ridley and Tony Scott) are lining up for fisticuffs at the box office with competing versions of the same story.

Why? Can modern audiences cope with two takes on the same 19th-century adventure? No, they can't, and they won't. Which means that one of these mega-budget behemoths will sink like a holed Nautilus.

William Goldman's comment about Hollywood that "nobody knows anything", rings cacophonously true.

The example of The Towering Inferno may lie in the dim and distant past but today's execs owe it to modern audiences to deliver one good film, not two mediocre ones.