Disney/Pixar Plucks Burroughs’ John Carter

Wednesday, January 17, 2007
By: Ryan Ball

After being bounced around Hollywood for a number of years, Edgar Rice Burroughs’ John Carter of Mars sci-fi adventure stories may end up being animated by the Disney/Pixar toon machine. Citing anonymous sources, The Hollywood Reporter brings word that the studio is in final negotiations to acquire film rights to the Tarzan creator’s novels, which were first published in the early 1900s.

The 11-volume John Carter saga follows the adventures of a Civil War officer who is transported to Mars, where he is captured by green men before emerging as a great warrior and marrying a princess. The first title, A Princess of Mars, was published in serial form in the periodical All-Story in 1912.

Jeffrey Katzenberg, who is now CEO of DreamWorks Animation, planed to make an animated John Carter feature when he was with Disney back in the 1990s. In 2002, the Mouse House relinquished the film rights to Paramount Pictures, which has had several directors attached to the project. Robert Rodriguez had to bow out when he resigned from the Director’s Guild of America because they wouldn’t let him credit comic book creator Frank Miller as a co-director on Sin City. Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow helmer Kerry Conrad then threw his name in the hat before Paramount tapped Elf and Zathrua director Jon Favreau to do the job. Favreau then left the project to direct Iron Man, Paramount’s live-action feature based on Marvel’s comics. Paramount then let its option on Burroughs’ stories run out.

With it’s recent People’s Choice Awards and Golden Globes wins for Cars, Dinsey’s Pixar is proving that its track record for producing animated features that resonate with critics and moviegoers remains untarnished. As evidenced by the 2004 superhero action-comedy The Incredibles and Walt Disney Feature Animation’s upcoming Meet the Robinsons, John Lasseter and crew are not afraid to experiment with genres, and a John Carter pic would be another departure from the fashionable talking-animal formula that most studios are adhering to.

Reader Comments

• David Freedman : showrunner : David Freedman Ltd.

  Monday, January 22, 2007

  At long last! These were the stories that got me lost in a haze of sci fi as a kid. I loved Tarzan too, but John Carter had me hooked. I even had a giant map of Mars on my wall.

• Mike Carambat : webmaster : www.johncartermovie.com

  Monday, January 22, 2007

  Oh, we\'re just thrilled about this over here ;)

• CC Davis :

  Tuesday, January 23, 2007

  It is great that this is being filmed. But it should not be animated. I am horrified that it should be animated, even by Pixar.
  A live-action film would go over better. This movie needs a mix of real, live characters and good effects make for good action/scifi. Pixar, stay away!

• Anonymous :

  Sunday, January 28, 2007

  Please tell me, that they\'re not thinking of making...
  a 100$ million dollar CARTOON!
  I\'ve hope that I would be able to see this saga on the big screen, someday, but NOT as A CARTOON.
  Sad news, for sure.

• Anonymous :

  Sunday, January 28, 2007

  Well now... I\'m willing to give animation a chance. I\'m just afraid they\'ll turn it into a kiddie movie, like they did \"Tarzan\". But if they do it like Final Fantasy, (albeit a bit better) it has possibilities.
  
  Let\'s hope they do it right.

• basil :

  Monday, January 29, 2007

  An animation is better than nothing I beleive it is interesting to see what pixar comes up with.

• Howard C. Beam : Computer Project Lead :

  Tuesday, January 30, 2007

  I believe the ERB Martian Tales have the potential to be the next \"Lord of the Rings\" in films. But not as an \"Animated\" or \"Cartoon\" film. This needs to be live action. Anything else will put it right in the crapper...

• Hombre :

  Wednesday, January 31, 2007

  Please, not a cartoon! It needs to at least be in the style of Narnia, Polar Express or Final Fantasy. In the style of Lord of the Rings would be best. This is not a story for little kids. They\'ve yet to get the true Tarzan right. Here is a chance is get it right if they\'ll just listen to the Burrough\'s fans and read the books.

• Feldrik :

  Sunday, February 11, 2007

  Since most attempts by studios that translate books to film are nearly ciminal in what they produce I am hoping that the project NEVER gets done.
  On the other hand, PIXAR may be just enough outside the mainstream to not fall prey the PC practice of re-writting of books by script writters.
  If they go for an adult tone and realistic characters it may work, if not...time for pitch forks and torches!
  For the love of all that is decent though...please tell the story that ERB wrote!

• Feldrik :

  Sunday, February 11, 2007

  Oh...and please do not title it John Carter of Mars...\'A princess of Mars\' or \'Under the Moons of Mars\' will surely generate more positive atention.

• Hombre :

  Tuesday, February 13, 2007

  Does anyone with influence on this production or anyone with the ear of someone who does actually read this forum? Or, are we just peeing in the wind with our comments? If you are involved with this production in any way, please post us some current news and tell us that at least we\'ve been heard.
  Thanks.

• JohnCarter :

  Friday, February 23, 2007

  This needs to have a realistic animation style. If Pixar goes the realistic animation (Final Fantasy) way and not cartoonish they are in for a huge overtake. This would be a big departure from their usual portfolio style. They could be in for a big fall or a huge breakthru.

• indnajns :

  Sunday, January 20, 2008

  Why can\'t it be done like Pirates of the Caribean? Davy Jones was real enough for me. I could see Tars Tarkas done like that. Disney owns Pixar. One can dream, I suppose.