For those that don’t know, John Carter of Mars is based on the Barsoom series by Edgar Rice Burrough. The lead character, John Carter, is a civil war veteran who finds himself on an adventure in Mars battling strange inhabitants.

Taylor Kitsch plays John Carter. I liked him as Gambit (Wolverine) and am thrilled to see him as the main character. Willem Dafoe also joins the cast as Tars Tarkas, a four-armed green warrior. Another Wolverine alumni, Lynn Collins, joins as Dejah Thoris, a scantily-clad martian princess.

I’m pretty excited to see Andrew Stanton (Finding Nemo, WALL-E) tackle a live-action sci-fi/fantasy movie. Since this is a PG-13 flick, it will be be part of Walt Disney Pictures, since Pixar wants to keep their “all-ages” image. Wasn’t Disney suppose to be an “all-age” studio?

I hope Taylor Kitsch wears nothing but a loin cloth and Lynn Collins gets to wear those gold-plated nipper covers. Saucy!

WALT DISNEY PICTURES’ “JOHN CARTER OF MARS” BEGINS PRINCIPAL PHOTOGRAPHY IN LONDON

BURBANK, Calif. (January 15, 2010) – 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,” “Ratatouille”) and Colin Wilson (“Avatar,” “War of the Worlds”), the live action/animation film marks Academy Award®-winning director/writer Andrew Stanton’s (“Finding Nemo,” “WALL•E”) 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.”

“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 Lights”, “X-Men Origins: Wolverine”) in the title role, Lynn Collins (“50 First Dates,” “X-Men Origins: Wolverine”) as the warrior princess Dejah Thoris and Oscar® nominee Willem Dafoe (“Spider-Man 3,” “Shadow of a Vampire”) as Martian inhabitant Tars Tarkas.  The cast also includes Thomas Haden Church (“Sideways,” Spider-Man 3), Polly Walker (upcoming “Clash of the Titans,” “Patriot Games”), Samantha Morton (“Elizabeth: The Golden Age,” “In America”), Mark Strong (“Sherlock Holmes,” “Body of Lies”), Ciaran Hinds (“Munich,” “There Will Be Blood”), British actor Dominic West (“300,” “Chicago”), James Purefoy (“Vanity Fair,” “Resident Evil”) and Bryan Cranston (“Breaking Bad”). Daryl Sabara (“Disney’s A Christmas Carol,” “Spy Kids”) 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 Begins”), costume designer Mayes Rubeo (“Avatar,” “Apocalypto”), cinematographer Daniel Mindel (“Star Trek,” “Mission Impossible III,” “Spygame”) and video effects supervisor Peter Chiang (“The Reader,” “The Bourne Ultimatum”).

JOHN CARTER OF MARS
WALT DISNEY PICTURES

Genre: Adventure/Sci-Fi
Rating: TBD
Release Date: TBD

Cast: 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: Andrew Stanton
Producers: Jim Morris and Colin Wilson
Screenplay by: Andrew Stanton & Mark Andrews (credit not final)
Based on the story by: Edgar Rice Burroughs

From Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Andrew Stanton (“Finding Nemo,” “WALL-E”), 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.”

·   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.”

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).

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

WALT DISNEY PICTURES' "JOHN CARTER OF MARS" BEGINS PRINCIPAL PHOTOGRAPHY
IN LONDON

BURBANK, Calif. (January 15, 2010) - Principal photography is underway
in London for Walt Disney Pictures' "JOHN CARTER OF MARS." Academy
Award(r)-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,"
"Ratatouille") and Colin Wilson ("Avatar," "War of the Worlds"), the
live action/animation film marks Academy Award(r)-winning
director/writer Andrew Stanton's ("Finding Nemo," "WALL*E") 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(r) for Best Animated Feature (2008); Stanton was nominated for an
Oscar(r) 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."

"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
Lights", "X-Men Origins: Wolverine") in the title role, Lynn Collins
("50 First Dates," "X-Men Origins: Wolverine") as the warrior princess
Dejah Thoris and Oscar(r) nominee Willem Dafoe ("Spider-Man 3," "Shadow
of a Vampire") as Martian inhabitant Tars Tarkas.  The cast also
includes Thomas Haden Church ("Sideways," Spider-Man 3), Polly Walker
(upcoming "Clash of the Titans," "Patriot Games"), Samantha Morton
("Elizabeth: The Golden Age," "In America"), Mark Strong ("Sherlock
Holmes," "Body of Lies"), Ciaran Hinds ("Munich," "There Will Be
Blood"), British actor Dominic West ("300," "Chicago"), James Purefoy
("Vanity Fair," "Resident Evil") and Bryan Cranston ("Breaking Bad").
Daryl Sabara ("Disney's A Christmas Carol," "Spy Kids") takes the role
of John Carter's teenaged nephew, Edgar Rice Burroughs.

The creative team includes Oscar(r)-nominated production designer Nathan
Crowley ("Public Enemies," "The Dark Knight," "Batman Begins"), costume
designer Mayes Rubeo ("Avatar," "Apocalypto"), cinematographer Daniel
Mindel ("Star Trek," "Mission Impossible III," "Spygame") and video
effects supervisor Peter Chiang ("The Reader," "The Bourne Ultimatum").

JOHN CARTER OF MARS

WALT DISNEY PICTURES

Genre:                                      Adventure/Sci-Fi

Rating:                                      TBD                  

Release Date:                            TBD

Cast:                                         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:                                   Andrew Stanton

Producers:                                 Jim Morris and Colin Wilson

Screenplay by:                           Andrew Stanton & Mark Andrews
(credit not final)

Based on the story by:               Edgar Rice Burroughs 

From Academy Award(r)-winning filmmaker Andrew Stanton ("Finding Nemo,"
"WALL-E"), 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."

*         Academy Award(r)-winning director/writer Andrew Stanton
directed and co-wrote the screenplay for "WALL*E," which earned the
Academy Award(r) and Golden Globe Award(r) for Best Animated Feature of
2008. He was Oscar(r) nominated for the screenplay. He made his
directorial debut with "Finding Nemo," garnering an Academy Award(r)
nomination for Best Original Screenplay and winning the Oscar(r) for
Best Animated Feature Film of 2003. He was one of the four screenwriters
to receive an Oscar(r) 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."

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).

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