Director Andrew Stanton is now in full gear on John Carter of Mars in London, England at Long Cross Film Studios. This will be the first live action movie for the Academy Award®-winning filmmaker (Wall-E), although there will be animation blended into the movie. When asked about the film, Andrew said:
"I have been waiting my whole life to see the characters and worlds of 'John Carter of Mars' realized on the big screen. It is just a wonderful bonus that I have anything to do with it."
The movie will be based on the first of Edgar Rice Burroughs' Barsoom Series. The film chronicles the journey of Civil-War veteran John Carter (Taylor Kitsch), a Civil War soldier who is mysteriously transported to Mars. Once there, he is caught in the middle of a mysterious war between various groups of Martians.
Casting Notes:
Breaking Bad star
Bryan Cranston has been added to the cast. Heat Vision reports that Cranston will play a Civil War colonel who comes into conflict with Carter. This looks to be a fairly small role as the movie is predominately set on Mars.
Ciaran Hinds, whose credits include
Munich and
There Will Be Blood, has taken a currently unrevealed role.
Lastly,
Daryl Sabara from Disney’s
A Christmas Carol will portray the character Edgar Rice Burroughs (named after the author who created John Carter of Mars). He is John Carter’s teen-aged nephew.
Taylor Kitsch plays John Carter, while Lynn Collins is the warrior princess Dejah Thoris and Willem Dafoe appears as Martian inhabitant Tars Tarkas. Other members of the strong ensemble cast include Thomas Haden Church, Polly Walker, Samantha Morton, Mark Strong, Ciaran Hinds, Dominic West, James Purefoy, Bryan Cranston, and Daryl Sabara (as John Carter's teenaged nephew, Edgar Rice Burroughs).
The film is slated for released in 2012.