X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE Star Taylor Kitsch Reflects On JOHN CARTER And The Love It Still Gets From Fans

John Carter was a box office flop when it arrived in theaters back in 2012, but the Disney movie still has a devoted fanbase, and that's something lead star Taylor Kitsch clearly remains grateful for...

By JoshWilding - Sep 17, 2022 02:09 PM EST

Filed Under: John Carter of Mars

Source: Screen Rant (via SFFGazette.com)

Way back in 2012, X-Men Origins: Wolverine star Taylor Kitsch looked set to hit the big time with a lead role in Disney's John Carter. Wall-E and Finding Nemo director Andrew Stanton was at the helm of the project (making his live-action debut), and expectations for it being something special were understandably high.

Unfortunately, fans of Edgar Rice Burroughs' story A Princess of Mars were left sorely disappointed, even with an impressive cast that included Lynn Collins, Willem Dafoe, Bryan Cranston, Thomas Haden Church, Samantha Morton, Mark Strong, Ciarán Hinds, and James Purefoy.

Reviews were also mixed and the movie failed to find an audience, debuting with a disappointing $30 million. It would ultimately go on to earn $284 million at the worldwide box office, a dismal result considering the fact it cost $250 million to produce. Since then, the franchise has remained on the shelf, with talk of a sequel or reboot never going much further than that.

Recently, Screen Rant (via SFFGazette.com) caught up with Kitsch and asked him to reflect on his John Carter experience.

"I learned an incredible amount on that movie. I still have great relationships with that movie, which says a ton," the actor says. "I have no ill will whatsoever, I learned a lot, man. And took some big strides personally and professionally through that. It hurt, obviously, at the time, but in retrospect, I wouldn't change a thing, to be honest. It is what it is, we all have those moments."

"It's fun when people stop and talk about JC and their kids, they watch it with their kids and whatnot," Kitsch continued. "That's what it was for, you know, it was fun."

It's hard to believe it's been a decade since the movie was released, and there's no denying that it's a shame to see how the franchise has fallen by the wayside and been largely forgotten.

We don't anticipate Kitsch getting the chance to reprise the role, unfortunately. However, as is so often the case in Hollywood, we have to believe John Carter will eventually be rebooted in some manner. Perhaps as a Disney+ TV series at some point?

Andrew Stanton's JOHN CARTER Had Planned Sequels, Here Are The Logos And Titles

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Mark Strong On Why He Thinks JOHN CARTER Failed; Says He Really Enjoyed The Movie

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72 Comments

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kazuma - 9/17/2022, 2:00 PM

John Carter is great.

UnderBelly - 9/17/2022, 3:09 PM

@kazuma - Yeah it definitely deserves some love. It was for its time quite expensive though. Shame it didn't get the traction it needed. Taylor is also a really dedicated guy, I feel he really should have gotten the Gambit spin off but I guess Tatum had the bigger name and was actually producing it. Never came to though.

How about they try and get a John Carter animated follow up...that could work.

Fogs - 9/17/2022, 3:46 PM

@UnderBelly - never watched it. Gotta check it out.

UnderBelly - 9/17/2022, 4:16 PM

@Fogs - Yeah, worth a look for sure. Some of the VFX will look a tiny bit dated though, especially with the alien Dafoe plays.

MUTO123 - 9/17/2022, 2:01 PM

I don't think the movie's terrible or anything, it just felt kinda generic since so much stuff had already borrowed from the source.

And if you haven't read the story behind what went wrong with the movie, it's fascinating and kinda sad.

http://www.thewrap.com/john-carter-movie-history-why-it-failed/

HeavyMetal4Life - 9/17/2022, 2:05 PM

Totally, totally underrated film that should have been bigger. It was/is a solid, good, enjoyable film.

Waifuslayer - 9/17/2022, 2:09 PM

John Carter is a movie I've tried to give a chance but there's something about it that just feels so... Hollow. I've never been able to sit down and watch it from beginning to end.

TheComedian67 - 9/17/2022, 2:18 PM

@Waifuslayer -

For me it's the Earth/human stuff that turns the movie on it's head.

It's suppose to be a big part of the story and John as a character, his connection to Earth, but the movie never really establishes those stakes in a meaningful or impactful way.

It feels like the Mars stuff, and the Earth stuff, were filmed by 2 different directors, for 2 different movies.

Waifuslayer - 9/17/2022, 2:26 PM

@TheComedian67 - yeah I kind of remember feeling this way. It definitely had issues with the natural flow of things if that makes sense. I also find the creature design to be incredibly off putting / lackluster.

TheAcuario - 9/17/2022, 2:12 PM

I loved it, the marketing failed it personally

ManofSteel23 - 9/17/2022, 2:32 PM

Disneys “then” answer to their own Star Wars franchise that is of course…until they bought Star Wars 😅 it ain’t a bad film I watched

dracula - 9/17/2022, 2:32 PM

better pic for gambit than tatum

origins was crap but he was a perfect pick

Origame - 9/17/2022, 2:34 PM

Ah, remember the day when a movie could just be bad? You know, we see it then everyone gives their yay or nay on the film before we moved on with our day?

As opposed today when you can't hate like half the movies being released without being some kind of phobe?

bkmeijer1 - 9/17/2022, 5:47 PM

@Origame - those were the days for sure. Especially the 00s were great. So many bad movies, but for some reason most still had charm. Kinda miss that in today's bad movies though.

Think it might also be because internet/social media wasn't as huge 10 years ago that we weren't called out so quickly.

Origame - 9/17/2022, 6:19 PM

@bkmeijer1 - I think studios and media in general are playing into it as well.

But yeah, even bad movies were fun back then.

bkmeijer1 - 9/17/2022, 6:25 PM

@Origame - oh yeah, for sure. That's why I said "also", since there are probably even more factors we aren't considering.

I sometimes just put on a Resident Evil or a Van Helsing because they're just fun. Can't think of a recent movie that's similar to those. If you have suggestions though, please share them.

Origame - 9/17/2022, 6:57 PM

@bkmeijer1 - id say Sony marvel films are kinda in that category

dragon316 - 9/17/2022, 11:22 PM

@bkmeijer1 - Mario brothers , the pest

Reeds2Much - 9/17/2022, 2:35 PM

Imagine being the inspiration for one of the most popular characters of all times and basically dying in a gutter forgotten.

Origame - 9/17/2022, 2:45 PM

@Reeds2Much - it's kinda hard for it to shine when everything that took inspiration just completely outshines it.

I mean, superman? Star wars?

HagridsHole1 - 9/17/2022, 2:35 PM

I think it’s actually a great film and very well cast. The story gets a little muddled underneath some of the lore, but on the whole it’s solid and visually I find it to be quite beautiful. Shame we’ll never get to see the two sequels that were planned. Legacy sequel series on D+ I’d be all for

Ha1frican - 9/17/2022, 2:37 PM

It was ok, the marketing made it look super boring and ruined what was clearly supposed to be a reveal that he’s super strong on mars

BobGarlen - 9/17/2022, 2:41 PM

I really wish this franchise would have blossomed. John Carter was fantastic.

MasterMix - 9/17/2022, 2:42 PM

I haven't seen it since I first watched it in theaters, but I know I didn't hate it. Though I did hate the lack of Mars in the title.

slickrickdesigns - 9/17/2022, 2:46 PM

I enjoyed John Carter, it wasn’t the best film but it was good.

Syringe - 9/17/2022, 2:51 PM

I'll always have love for Tim Riggins - Clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose!

TheManWithoutFear - 9/17/2022, 2:57 PM

I liked him as Gambit. And Liev as Sabretooth.

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X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE Star Taylor Kitsch Reflects On JOHN CARTER And The Love It Still Gets From Fans

John Carter was a box office flop when it arrived in theaters back in 2012, but the Disney movie still has a devoted fanbase, and that's something lead star Taylor Kitsch clearly remains grateful for...

Andrew Stanton's JOHN CARTER Had Planned Sequels, Here Are The Logos And Titles

Mark Strong On Why He Thinks JOHN CARTER Failed; Says He Really Enjoyed The Movie