John Carter (2012)

[GreenScar]

'John Carter of Mars' March 9, 2012

So Pixar is going to be doing their first live action movie. Interested? This could be quite the event. Okay so it's actually Disney (since Disney owns Pixar and Pixar is an animation arm of the studio...but it is to be directed by Pixar director Andrew Stanton. Here's some of the details we know thus far:

After many years in development, it appears that John Carter of Mars is gearing up to begin production. As you know by now, Finding Nemo and WALL-E director Andrew Stanton will be making his live action feature debut with an adaptation of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ 1917 sci-fi fantasy novel A Princess of Mars. KLS is reporting that Disney has signed a deal to shoot part of the film in Utah. After the jump I also have exclusive info that Tom Cruise was circling the project for a short period of time.

The screenplay was written by Andrew Stanton and Mark Andrews with some revisions from Michael Chabon (Spider-Man 2). Stanton began interviewing prospective actors in January, and I even heard rumblings from two good sources that Tom Cruise was seriously considering the project at one point (although I’ve been unable to confirm these rumors apart from knowing he had meetings at Pixar about being part of a potential trilogy of films). Tom Cruise’s representative was unwilling to comment on the matter. Whatever it was that Cruise was brewing over at Pixar’s Emeryville campus, the actor decided it was best to move on to something else — James Mangold’s Wichita.

Back to the shoot, Utah approved up to $5.5 million in tax credits, as Disney expects to spend $28 million in Utah when production begins in November. Stanton has previously stated that he wants to avoud the look and feel of Star Wars or any of its derivatives, and was seeking a “more naturalistic aesthetic.” Utah definitely fits the bill.

Governor’s Office of Economic Development Director Jason Perry says that the production will employ over 400 people full-time for seven-straight months, and that Disney believes the film could become its next big movie series, akin to Pirates of the Caribbean.

Utah and some of it's red rock canyons would be a great setting for this movie.

And now they have some casting news:

Disney’s John Carter of Mars adaptation has both its John Carter and Dejah Thoris. THR reports that Taylor Kitsch, last seen as Gambit in X-Men Origins: Wolverine will play John Carter. Lynn Collins, who also appeared in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, as Logan’s girlfriend Kayla Silverfox, will be Deja Thoris.

John Carter of Mars is still being helmed by Pixar notable Andrew Stanton who has never worked on a live action movie before. Instead, he’s been the director of such instant Pixar classics as Finding Nemo and WALL-E. They are, unfortunately, also Pixar’s sappiest movies. It’s hard to imagine this guy handling the world of John Carter, talented though he is.

Still, maybe this will work. Dejah Thoris will be forced to wear clothes of course, because it’s Disney, but maybe that’s the only compromise they’ll have to make… if we’re lucky. On the other hand John Carter of Mars is about a bloody, brutal Martian civil war; material which doesn’t exactly lend it to the doggedly family friendly tone of most of Disney’s movies. I just don't see it. At least Kitsch and Collins sort of look the part.

[tbizzle]

I'm hooked!

[krazyclown]

I just orderd the first book in the trilgy. Hope the movie is good.

[P@t_Mtl]

They will need some big updating however, these stories are very dated now for scifi audiences. If they make it into a scifi fantasy type of movie like Flash Gordon it could be very good.

[Moefiz]

This should be pretty good, with Pixar and Disney behind this...

[GreenScar]

Suddenly the John Carter of Mars news is flowing like crazy. Thomas Haden Church said on Reel Talk with Jeffrey Lyons that he’d be joining the film, in what he calls a ‘very dramatic role’. He’ll work alongside Taylor Kitsch (as John Carter) and Lynn Collins (as Dejah Thoris, heir to the Martian kingdom). Andrew Stanton will make his live-action directing debut with the film, which is written by Stanton and Mark Andrews, with additional recent work by Michael Chabon.

The actor said specifically that he was “probably going to do a huge science fiction drama at Disney called John Carter of Mars.” We’ve wondered exactly where on the Disney/Pixar line this project would fall, as it hasn’t been anywhere on Pixar’s announced slate. Increasingly, as reports of impending work in Utah have come out, it seems that this is primarily a Disney picture, even if it has Pixar talent. (Stanton and Andrews and, since we still understand that it will feature animation, possibly some other Pixar staff?) Work is set to begin in Utah in November, and Haden Church said that he’d be working on the film in the spring, so that gives some idea of the production timeline.

Based on the novel A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs, this should indeed be a huge film. Collins isn’t the most inspiring cast, but Thomas Haden Church is reliably fantastic, and blessed with the sort of old-school character actor face that seems to exist in far fewer numbers these days. And hell, I liked Kitsch in Wolverine and will be interested to see if he’s got the quality necessary to carry a big sci-fi opera like this one.

The movie will follow Civil War vet John Carter, who is transplanted to Mars, where he discovers a lush, wildly diverse planet whose main inhabitants are 12-foot tall green barbarians. Finding himself a prisoner of these creatures, he escapes, only to encounter Dejah Thoris, Princess of Helium, who is in desperate need of a savior.

[AKORIS]

wow, this is a name from the past-- I used to love reading these comics when I was a kid---

hope it turns out to be a fun movie!

[krazyclown]

I know they said it be live action and CG thats why Pixar keeps coming up because they are doing th CG stuff for the movie.

[redtornado]

Im not big on sci fi and fantasy, but Id give this a try.

[GreenScar]

Originally Posted by krazyclown

I know they said it be live action and CG thats why Pixar keeps coming up because they are doing th CG stuff for the movie.

Pixar has said that they are not doing the CG special effects. The movie is being done by Disney (who owns Pixar) and the director is Stanton. It's his first live action movie (he's done Nemo and Wall-E). It won't officially have a Pixar association but their fingertips are all over it.

[GreenScar]

Breaking Bad's Bryan Cranston spills a little bit of information about John Carter Of Mars.


Collider's Steve Weintraub had the opportunity to talk to Bryan Cranston from AMC's Breaking Bad. The topic eventually turned to John Carter Of Mars.

This from Collider....

Collider: I definitely have more questions of Breaking Bad but I definitely want to ask you before I run out of time, you’re going to be in Andrew Stanton’s John Carter of Mars.

Cranston: Yeah, I am. We already started shooting that. I shot for a week in London a couple weeks ago.

Collider: Can you talk about who you play in the film and are you excited to be in this huge movie?

Cranston: Very excited. I liked the script first and foremost. That’s why I went in to meet with Andrew. And then his infectious enthusiasm for the movie and for characters and it just….I caught his bug. And I said, yes, so I’ll be a part of it. I’ll do whatever you want me to do. And so I play, during the Civil War America time….this story takes place part-time Civil War America and Mars, which has no time. So my character is a Northern Colonel who is dogging John Carter to be a part of the government. We need his help. He’s an excellent tracker and marksman and that sort of thing. And in the Arizona Territories, the Apaches are running wild, so I need his help and he won’t do it. He doesn’t want to have anything to do with anything. His family was obliterated during the War. It was horrible and he wants to be a part of no man’s government. So I keep after him and keep after him and track him down and have a conversation with him and have to use some physical force on him and he keeps breaking out and I keep tracking him down. And finally we end up in a cave and in this cave are some magical things that happen. And that transports him and it’s really quite fascinating and I look forward to it.

Collider: I’m so excited for this movie. Andrew’s first live-action. You’re on hiatus now and you’re filming…now you just did the one week on John Carter, does that mean you’re wrapped?

Cranston: No, I have 2 more weeks to go. We’ll pick that up in Utah in April.

John Carter Of Mars is based on the character created by Edgar Rice Burroughs. It is directed by Andrew Stanton and stars Taylor Kitsch, James Purefoy, Bryan Cranston, Mark Strong and Willem Dafoe. It is set to be released in 2012.

[P@t_Mtl]

It's too bad we still have to wait another 2 years for this

[Batman1980]

Disney announces release date

John Carter of Mars Buena Vista 6/8/12 New

Source - Box Office Mojo

[P@t_Mtl]

Originally Posted by Gandalf Stormcrow

Disney announces release date

Source - Box Office Mojo

Well that is not for tomorrow, will have to be patient

[Duffy12]

Originally Posted by Gandalf Stormcrow

Disney announces release date

Source - Box Office Mojo

Man, I sure hope that they are using Cameron's 'Mo-capture'. This is the perfect movie for it.


.

[WyldeMan45]

Wonder when we are going to get to see Timmy Riggins aka Taylor Kitsch as John Carter....

[The Big Blue]

I can't believe how long some of these movies are taking to make lately.

[Duffy12]

Originally Posted by The Big Blue

I can't believe how long some of these movies are taking to make lately.

I sure can.

It's all from the inrush of 'photo-realistic CGI' that is being used nowadays, and not physical effects such as models, puppets and masks.


.

[WyldeMan45]

Seems like I've been following this movie for 3 years now, and it probably has been that long since I first heard about it. Are they even close to starting filming or is that another year off still?

[Batman1980]

boxofficemojo Box Office Mojo
Disney has just moved sci-fi adventure 'John Carter of Mars' to 3/9/12 -- the same day as sci-fi flick 'Prometheus':

Source - Twitter