While doing press for Green Lantern, Mark Strong was asked by MTV about another comic book movie he is doing John Carter. Strong will be portraying Matai Shang in the film and talked a little bit about his look in the film.
"In the books, they're all bald, but they wear these strange blonde wigs in the books. I think the feeling was that recreating that on film was a little bit strange. So it's much more of a traditional alien look: very shaved, pale, has a big robe. Very powerful.
"Andrew's (Stanton the director) such a great storyteller. We're in very safe hands and you know he's going to make something exceptional. The thing that I think will distinguish it, which I'm most excited by, is that even though it takes place in space — it's science fiction — it's from a Victorian point of view. Because Edgar Rice Burrows novels were at the turn of the century, and his perception of space was very different from ours. The Martians, for example, wear breast plates and swords and helmets with wings on them. I think that's what's going to distinguish it visually."
"The Therns are a very powerful race we don't need to get down and dirty. We're cerebral rather then physical.
John Carter stars Taylor Kitsch, Willem Dafoe, James Purefoy, Mark Strong, Bryan Cranston and Lynn Collins and will be due out next year.