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Andrew Stanton's John Carter of Mars Shooting in November!

by Alex Billington
June 12, 2009
Source: ksl.com

Time flies. It feels like just yesterday when Wall-E director Andrew Stanton would answer every John Carter of Mars question with "we're just working on the script right now." A year later and now it looks like the script is ready. Fortunately it won't take four years to make like at Pixar. The news comes from the NBC station KSL in Salt Lake City, Utah (via SlashFilm). They report that thanks to a new tax incentive in the state, Disney will bring 400 cast and crew to Utah and shoot John Carter of Mars for seven months. While we never got any official confirmation, word is that this will be Stanton's first live-action feature.

"Utah approved up to $5.5 million in tax credits for the $28 million of work done here. Production is expected to begin in November, and Disney believes the film could become its next big movie series, akin to Pirates of the Caribbean." John Carter of Mars is an adaptation of Edgar Rice Burroughs' classic series of sci-fi novels. The screenplay was co-written by Andrew Stanton and fellow novelist Michael Chabon (as reported in April). Peter over at SlashFilm reports a rumor that Tom Cruise was considering starring in this but in the end decided to do Wichita instead. Not much else is really known about this right now.

Stanton told us last year that he would be specifically adapting the first novel in series, The Princess of Mars, originally published in 1917. The story follows an American civil war hero who gets mysteriously transported to Mars. We've been looking forward this for a while, as not only is it Andrew Stanton's highly anticipated follow-up to Wall-E and first live-action feature, but it's an adaptation of a beloved sci-fi series that should make for great cinema. Here's hoping that it does indeed start shooting in November!

Filed under Hype, Movie News, Rumors

From around the web:

zach

Blah! this movie all ready seems too old for us. they need to bring it to more modern times not civil war era bull crap :p maybe i'm too tired to think right at the moment but this will tank
Alex C.

I am very excited at the thought that Stanton (with Pixar's Dream Team behind him) will direct a movie inspired by such an exciting - but almost forgotten - series. BTW: can't wait to see Tars Tarkas & Co brought to life by Pixar's CGI. @zach: either you're tired or haven't read the series: John Carter is transported to Mars in the first chapter of the first book. Earth and its reality disappear to be replaced by Mars. Would you have said: "They need to bring Lord of the Rings to modern times"? It's Fantasy, man.
Ken

FINALLY! Hope they do a good job with this because I think it's got great potential. By the way if you read any of the books you'd know that the stories take place on Mars and they're not about the CIvil War.
Ken

Tom Cruise -NO, like him but I don't think he's right for this role. Nathan Fillion would be awesome as John Carter. Especially if they write the story with a little humour along the lines of Firefly. Fantastic!
http://www.bleepinggeek.com Pete the Geek

I always hoped they'd do a movie version of this series, but unfortunately it's being done by Disney which means that the heart and soul of the book will be swiftly replaced with merchandising opportunities, needless special effect clusterf***s, and a "tween friendly" script. It's an R-rated book that they'll cram into a tidy little 2 hour PG-13 movie. Of course, Disney will cast some "nu-Tiger-Beat" star and make a bazillionty dollars at the box office and we'll get more watered down sequels, so it's not like my opinion is going to change any minds.
Wottock Hunt

And it goes without saying that Alex has not read Burrough's Barsoom-series.
esophus

If they can get the cg and cinematography to look exactly like the picture you posted for this article and keep the integrity intact I'm in...of course that would leave room for the epic of pulp paperback novels to be made....DOC SAVAGE!!!! When will that movie come out? I want to see BORIS paintings come to life on screen.
DoomCanoe

god i feel so bad for the cast and crew of this film Utah sucks so much ass
Chad

Disney will fuck this up. Guaranteed.
Jarno

I don't know what to say!! whats next the hyperion saga? all my teen SF comes to live . I only hope they can make it work on the big screen though.
Jont

ian mccaig! jump on here and tell us how this movie will be sweeeeeeet
http://www.goldenrule.com/health/health-savings.shtml Hsa

I heard something about this movie a while back but nothing since. Maybe I've been under a rock or something but I really have not heard how good/bad this movie was.
matt

being shot in the uk. shooting starts in jan 2010.2012 release.
Jason

I've been reading and re-reading the books since I was a kid. Don't know Taylor K. I'd pictured Hugh Jackman as John Carter and Monica Belucci as Dejah Thoris. As to "Frazetta" images being too old or 'Deco', that's crap. People have been picturing Frazetta's Barsoom for decades and it's still the best!