Principal photography is underway in London for Walt Disney Pictures’ “JOHN CARTER OF MARS.†Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Andrew Stanton brings this captivating hero to the big screen in a stunning adventure epic set on the wounded planet of Mars, a world inhabited by warrior tribes and exotic desert beings. Based on the first of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ “Barsoom Series,†the film chronicles the journey of Civil-War veteran John Carter, who finds himself battling a new and mysterious war amidst a host of strange Martian inhabitants.
Produced for Walt Disney Pictures by Jim Morris (“WALL•E,†“Ratatouilleâ€) and Colin Wilson (“Avatar,†“War of the Worldsâ€), the live action/animation film marks Academy Award®-winning director/writer Andrew Stanton’s (“Finding Nemo,†“WALL•Eâ€) first foray into live action. Stanton directed and co-wrote the screenplay for Disney•Pixar’s “WALL•E,†which earned the Academy Award and Golden Globe® for Best Animated Feature (2008); Stanton was nominated for an Oscar® for the screenplay. He made his directorial debut with Disney•Pixar’s “Finding Nemo,†garnering an Academy Award-nomination for Best Original Screenplay and winning the Oscar for Best Animated Feature (2003). He has worked as a screenwriter and/or executive producer on Disney•Pixar’s “Toy Story,†“A Bug’s Life†(which he also co-directed), “Toy Story 2,†“Monsters, Inc.,†“Ratatouille†and “Up.â€
“I have been waiting my whole life to see the characters and worlds of ‘John Carter of Mars’ realized on the big screen,†says Stanton. “It is just a wonderful bonus that I have anything to do with it.”
The stellar ensemble cast is led by Taylor Kitsch (NBC’S “Friday Night Lightsâ€, “X-Men Origins: Wolverineâ€) in the title role, Lynn Collins (“50 First Dates,†“X-Men Origins: Wolverineâ€) as the warrior princess Dejah Thoris and Oscar® nominee Willem Dafoe (“Spider-Man 3,†“Shadow of a Vampireâ€) as Martian inhabitant Tars Tarkas. The cast also includes Thomas Haden Church (“Sideways,†Spider-Man 3), Polly Walker (upcoming “Clash of the Titans,†“Patriot Gamesâ€), Samantha Morton (“Elizabeth: The Golden Age,†“In Americaâ€), Mark Strong (“Sherlock Holmes,†“Body of Liesâ€), Ciaran Hinds (“Munich,†“There Will Be Bloodâ€), British actor Dominic West (“300,†“Chicagoâ€), James Purefoy (“Vanity Fair,†“Resident Evilâ€) and Bryan Cranston (“Breaking Badâ€). Daryl Sabara (“Disney’s A Christmas Carol,†“Spy Kidsâ€) takes the role of John Carter’s teenaged nephew, Edgar Rice Burroughs.
The creative team includes Oscar®-nominated production designer Nathan Crowley (“Public Enemies,†“The Dark Knight,†“Batman Beginsâ€), costume designer Mayes Rubeo (“Avatar,†“Apocalyptoâ€), cinematographer Daniel Mindel (“Star Trek,†“Mission Impossible III,†“Spygameâ€) and video effects supervisor Peter Chiang (“The Reader,†“The Bourne Ultimatumâ€).
JOHN CARTER OF MARS
WALT DISNEY PICTURES
Genre:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Adventure/Sci-Fi
Rating:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â TBD
Release Date:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â TBD
Cast:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Taylor Kitsch, Lynn Collins, Samantha Morton, Mark Strong, Ciaran Hinds, Dominic West, James Purefoy, Daryl Sabara, Polly Walker, Bryan Cranston, with Thomas Hayden Church and Willem Dafoe
Director:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Andrew Stanton
Producers:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Jim Morris and Colin Wilson
Screenplay by:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Andrew Stanton & Mark Andrews (credit not final)
Based on the story by:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Edgar Rice Burroughs
From Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Andrew Stanton (“Finding Nemo,†“WALL-Eâ€), JOHN CARTER OF MARS brings this captivating hero to the big screen in a stunning adventure epic set on the wounded planet of Mars, a world inhabited by warrior tribes and exotic desert beings. Based on the first of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ “Barsoom Series,†the film chronicles the journey of Civil-War veteran John Carter (TAYLOR KITSCH), who finds himself battling a new and mysterious war amidst a host of strange Martian inhabitants, including Tars Tarkas (WILLEM DAFOE) and Dejah Thoris (LYNN COLLINS).
Notes:
·        Edgar Rice Burroughs was born in Chicago and is best known for writing and creating Tarzan – still one of the most successful and iconic fictional creations of all time. JOHN CARTER OF MARS is based on Burroughs’ first novel, “A Princess of Mars.â€
·        Academy Award®-winning director/writer Andrew Stanton directed and co-wrote the screenplay for “WALL•E,†which earned the Academy Award® and Golden Globe Award® for Best Animated Feature of 2008. He was Oscar® nominated for the screenplay. He made his directorial debut with “Finding Nemo,†garnering an Academy Award® nomination for Best Original Screenplay and winning the Oscar® for Best Animated Feature Film of 2003. He was one of the four screenwriters to receive an Oscar® nomination in 1996 for his contribution to “Toy Story,†and went on to receive credit as a screenwriter on subsequent Pixar films “A Bug’s Life,†“Toy Story 2,†“Monsters, Inc.,†“Finding Nemo†and “WALL•E.†He served as co-director on “A Bug’s Life,†and was the executive producer of “Monsters, Inc.,†the 2006 Academy Award-winning “Ratatouille†and the 2009 smash hit “Up.â€
Set in the wounded planet of Mars, JOHN CARTER OF MARS chronicles the journey of Civil-War veteran John Carter (TAYLOR KITSCH), who finds himself battling a new and mysterious war amidst a host of strange Martian inhabitants, including Tars Tarkas (WILLEM DAFOE) and Dejah Thoris (LYNN COLLINS).