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More Confusing Updates on Pixar's John Carter of Mars

by Alex Billington
September 27, 2008
Source: AWN

As excited as we all are to see Pixar's Andrew Stanton bring Edgar Rice Burroughs' classic John Carter of Mars stories to the big screen, there are still some big questions waiting to be answered. Will it be live-action or CGI or a hybrid of the two? Will the story be updated in any way to better fit into modern cinema? Back in June before the debut of Wall-E, we had the chance to chat with Andrew Stanton and get a very brief update on the project, but Stanton insisted that this year was all about writing. At a recent press event at Pixar, our friends at AWN caught up again with Stanton and Pixar General Manager Jim Morris and were able to get another update on the film, although their answers seem even more vague.

This search for clues on this John Carter of Mars project seems like a waste of time, but updates like this will hopefully lead us in the right direction. Stanton didn't add much, but he did say that "I'm going to do what I remember more than what they exactly do" in the books. So what does that mean? Jim Morris gives us a better explanation. "Everything that's been out there has been an attempt to kind of capture this Deco-esque [Frank] Frazetta vision of John Carter, which I think feels old and stale," he said. "And where Stanton is going -- from what we've seen so far -- is very different than that. And I think that the people who really love the essence of the books will really dig it, but so will audiences in general."

After hearing that, I think I'm even more clueless as to what we'll eventually see from Stanton. And that photo at the top is one of those Frazetta paintings anyway. As for the CGI vs live-action question, Morris mentions that "we are looking at a variety of different approaches and techniques for that." I think that means it's time to give up asking about it until they've got something to show us. And what better way to end this update than a statement that couldn't be more exciting to hear. "I'm sure I speak for all of the science fiction geeks, fans and aficionados when I say it's finally time to see that movie. And I, for one, am delighted that Andrew Stanton is the guy that's making the movie, because he's a story-driven guy."

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vegeta

This sounds really cool, and I think a combination of CGI and live action would work well for the story. Wouldn't have minded a 2D movie either, but this'll be more than enough.
eric

I think Stantons wrong Frazetta never gets stale.
REAL6

"Everything that's been out there has been an attempt to kind of capture this Deco-esque [Frank] Frazetta vision of John Carter, which I think feels old and stale," he said. WHAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He doesnt know what the hell he's fucking talking about!!!! He's one of the best artists of all time!!!
Jojo

This will be the first movie from pixar that no one will like. How many people wanna bet this will be PG-13? But I am pretty sure the movie blogging association will support it blindly because it is being done by pixar. HYPOCRITES.
pixarology

"I think that means it's time to give up asking about it until they've got something to show us." Nuff said.
Jont

ian mccaig will fucking rock this i think hes on it
http://www.theadventuresinfirstdays.blogspot.com Ira Owens

Ian McCaig is on this and the rest of you are whiny little bitches.
André

"What I remember" IS Frank Frazetta. Hearing that they're moving away from the Frazetta-style kind of undermines my initial excitement that they're making the movie. Although...perhaps this is just Pixar's attempt to quell any nervous, art-savvy parents who might assume that would mean an animated movie in which everyone is totally voluptuously NAKED. (we'll have Fincher's new Heavy Metal for that...) So, I'm going to take Stanton's statement as "No, this movies not going to be about naked people." Aside from the maturity level issue, I doubt Frazetta's portrayal of women in general would really fly in the PC mainstream of our time.
Mark Summers

What I think is great about this rumor is that part of the CA story is that the reason the super syrum for worked on for Steve Rogers and no one else is that he had perfect DNA. Now if that is part the movies story line, how do you think white america will roll with that. LOL Im laughing, So the perfect DNA isnt Blonde hair and blue eyes. I think the idea is great, and right on with Hollywood tradition, breaking old stereotypes....
Paul Dale

I made a trading card series in 1997, called THE CHOPPER CHICKS OF MARS. http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1607045316&ref=name#/photo.php?pid=30120356&id=1607045316 Inspired by the sexy Mars women of the J.C. series I created a cartoony pin up look for the characters in hopes they would be made into an animated cartoon.
elessar

Jojo: Pixar haters like you are so laughably irrelevant. I'm willing to bet that not only will this project be well liked, it will also nab Andrew Stanton his first Best Director nomination!
Mark G

"Everything that's been out there has been an attempt to kind of capture this Deco-esque [Frank] Frazetta vision of John Carter, which I think feels old and stale," he said. "And where Stanton is going — from what we've seen so far — is very different than that. And I think that the people who really love the essence of the books will really dig it, but so will audiences in general." ...and with these words goes any hope I might have of seeing a vision of JCoM as ERB envisioned it in his writings. ..."old and stale,"... You have to be kidding! Of course the "...so will audiences in general.", line explains everything. More mana for the mass market crowd. In the end, the kids and the Chi-Coms will be the big winners. And so the world turns................
Karl Waller

First off I HOPE it will be PG13, if not, anyone wanting something resembling ERB's Barsoom is going to be out of luck. Tarzan anyone? Weismuller? Cheetah? Hollywood bent Tarzan over until 1984 when Greystoke finallycame out. Having the Frazetta images around for this long may cause them to feel dated, but when I hear that Frazetta's amazing take on John Carter is "Old and Stale", it makes me fear for the end product. It's never a good thing when studios take rich source material and "taylor" it to suit a target market. Robert Rodriguez was atatched to this for a long time and I had my hopes up because he doesn't flinch. He loved the source material and also brings films in ahead of time and under budget. Big studios typically don't display that kind of courage. My fantasy? I'd be giddy if they handed it to Zack Snyder..............