Disney Sets Up Andrew Stanton’s John Carter of Mars in Utah
Posted by Neil Miller (neil@filmschoolrejects.com) on June 12, 2009
Probably one of the longest gestating film projects in the history of anything, Disney’s John Carter of Mars has had its wagons circling for quite some time. As you may know, the Edward Rice Burroughs written sci-fi fantasy novel A Princess of Mars has been in the eye of Hollywood since not long after the book was published in 1917. And now, more than 90-years later, Disney and Wall-E director Andrew Stanton are going to make the film.
According to KSL (via /Film) in Salt Lake City, Disney will take advantage of up to $5.5 million dollars in tax credits and spend nearly $28 million dollars in Utah when they set up production there in November. The Andrew Stanton, Mark Andrews and Michael Chabon scripted adventure story follows the story of Civil War vet John Carter, who is transplanted to Mars only to find a lush, wildly diverse planet whose main inhabitants are 12-foot tall green barbarians. He escapes captivation by these barbarians only to meet up with a Princess who is in desperate need of a savior.
This news is music to the ears of Carter fans, who have seen this project change hands dozens of times — everyone from Jon Favreau to Kerry Conran (Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow) have been attached at one time or another. And with the production finally looming off on the horizon, the focus will now shift to casting. Rumors have been circulating around the web that Tom Cruise has taken meetings at Pixar about a potential trilogy, but nothing gone beyond the “I saw Cruise have lunch with so-and-so” stage.
Either way, more information should be forthcoming on John Carter as the production continues to ramp up toward a November start. As always, stick with us and we’ll keep you mostly informed.
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