New Image From ‘John Carter’ Shows Giant White Ape

The summer preview issue of Entertainment Weekly has more gifts. Last night it was the first new pics from Ridley Scott’s Prometheus that we’ve seen in months. Now it is a new image from Andrew Stanton‘s John Carter, which shows Taylor Kitsch as the title character facing off against off one of the film’s six-limbed, giant-toothed beasts. Check it out in full below.

So, yeah, it’s a little bit like something out of the Star Wars prequels — I could see a few lightsaber-wielding Jedi facing down that thing. We haven’t seen much at all from this movie, and while the trailer left some people pretty cold, I think this is just the beginning of the wave of alien creatures that are going to be revealed from the film. Read more

‘John Carter’ Trailer Arrives!!

The John Carter trailer is here!  Check it out below…

When I was 12 years old (1976 I think heh), I was in a store somewhere and passed by a bookstand and stopped dead in my tracks.  On the rack was Swords of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs (8th in the series).  The cover immediately took me to that ancient planet and I haven’t looked back since.

On March 9th, 2012, Disney will release John Carter, the film version of Burroughs’ creation.

If the following trailer is any indication, this film will be well worth the wait.  I can’t wait for it.  I think I’ve read the entire series of Mars books probably a dozen times or so since I first saw that book on the stand and have been waiting for a film treatment for about that long as well.

Enjoy the trailer after the break and please comment and let me know what you think. Read more

‘John Carter Of Mars’ Begins Shooting This November In Utah

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 avoid 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.

Thanks to Matt B and Dan H for the tip.

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