Aug 24 2009 'John Carter of Mars' Gets Englisher

Samantha Morton (Synecdoche, New York), Polly Walker (Rome), Dominic West (McNulty!) have signed on to Andrew Stanton's adaptation of John Carter of Mars:

Taylor Kitsch, Lynn Collins and Willem Dafoe already are on board the production, which centers on a Civil War veteran (Kitsch) who finds himself mysteriously transported to Mars, where he becomes embroiled with the planet's warring people.

Morton plays Sola, the daughter of Dafoe's Tars Tarkas, who must hide her softer side from her warmongering race.

West plays Sab Than, prince of the Zodangans who believes he is entitled to rule Mars.

Walker plays Sarkoja, a merciless, tyrannical Thark.

I'm pretty excited to see basically anything the director of Finding Nemo and WALL-E is working on, but as someone unfamiliar with the property, let me tell ya, all of these character and plot descriptions sound like the insane ramblings of Vinz Clortho, Keymaster of Gozer:

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Apr 16 2009 Chabon Toolin' Around on 'John Carter of Mars'

I have only a dim impression that John Carter of Mars is some kind of space Conan (note: this vague perception is formed almost entirely from the above image), but I am beginning to care more and more about this upcoming film adaptation as I learn more about it. Look who's just joined the crew: someone respectable! From The Amazing Website of Kavalier and Clay:

In yesterday’s item by Deadline Hollywood Daily about Michael Chabon switching agents, it mentioned that he was attached to write a script for Disney’s John Carter of Mars. Having never heard that before, I checked in with Chabon to see if it was accurate. The answer is yes.

“I’ve been hired to do some revisions to an already strong script by Andrew Stanton and Mark Andrews,” Chabon said. “I wrote my original screenplay The Martian Agent back in 1995 because I wished I could do [Edgar Rice] Burroughs’s Barsoom. So this is pretty much a dream come true for me.”

Disney got the option rights to Burrough’s 11-volume series in 2007 after the rights lapsed at Paramount Pictures. Andrew Stanton, the writer and director of Finding Nemo and WALL-E, is set to direct. It’s expected to hit theaters in 2012.

Michael Chabon and WALL-E director Andrew Stanton: the most promising popular author/director collaboration since it was announced Dave Eggers was working with Spike Jonze on Where the Wild Things Are? Yes, clearly. I don't even know what the other choices would be.

(via AICN)

Jan 13 2009 Pixar's 'John Carter of Mars' is Second Most Perfect Definition of Hybrid Movie

WALL-E writer/director Andrew Stanton's next project is set to be John Carter of Mars, a CGI/live-action adaptation of the story of a Civil War veteran's adventures on Earth's most enemy planet: Mars. He recently spoke to MTV about the film, divulging some scoopz (they aren't huge scoopz):

“It’s real,” Stanton assured us. “We’re full bore on it right now. We’re over the hump of the writing phase, and we’re certainly far from rewrites.”

“The key was putting a story into it and creating characters that had to grow and real basic stuff that we all know a movie needs,” he explained.

Messing with a classic of the fantasy genre is always risky, but Stanton believes the passage of time is on his side. “Fortunately it’s an old enough story,” he said. “There isn’t such huge allegiance to it that people won’t mind that we muck with it a bit to hopefully amplify the essence of what made me interested in it as a young kid and hopefully will keep me interested in it as an adult.”

Andrew, you are so wrong that there isn't a big enough allegiance for people to get angry at divergences from the original text. I care about everything. Even if it was written in 1912 and had practically no story to speak of, and even if I've never read any of it and never will, the movie had better be exactly like my confused, entirely fantasy art-based impressions or someone will be making an anti-Pixar's John Carter of Mars Facebook group so fast it will knock several prestigious awards off your mantel.

I also take issue with this statement:

“There’s so much in it that can’t be real,” he said. “It’s the perfect definition of a hybrid movie,” utilizing both live actors and computer-based animation.

Perfect definition of a hybrid movie? That was called Alvin and the Chipmunks, buddy.

You can read the full interview here.