There has been more than one attempt to bring Edgar Rice Burrough's Martian hero to the big screen. Some of them probably died well-deserved deaths but many ERB fans have grown frustrated with the on-again, off-again status of the movie. Other literary franchises have proven to be far more successful at making the transition to the big screen.
What has been so challenging for John Carter of Mars?
Design Concepts shares some rarely seen production artwork from a 1970s attempt to being the story to the big screen. Keep in mind these ideas won't be incorporated into the Andrew Stanton movie that Disney/Pixar are producing and which is expected to be released in 2012 (100 years after A Princess of Mars was first published).
The artwork is not entirely faithful to ERB's original ideas (the Green Men appear to have only 2 arms, for example) but in the 1970s even animators were limited in what they could do to bring complex ecosystems to life. ERB's Martian environment was both very similar to Earth's and very different.
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Showing posts with label edgar rice burroughs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label edgar rice burroughs. Show all posts
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Monday, October 12, 2009
More information on "John Carter of Mars" movie
Additional cast information has been provided about the "John Carter of Mars" movie, which is scheduled to start filming in Utah next month (November 2009).
You can stay on top of the latest developments at SF-Fandom's John Carter of Mars movie discussion, too.
Here is the latest cast rundown provided by IMDB:
Several Web sites are reporting or speculating that Tal Hajus is a "would-be ruler" of the Green Men. In the book he IS the Jeddak of Thark, the tribe of Green Men who capture John Carter and Dejah Thoris. Tars Tarkus eventually kills Tal Hajus and succeeds him as Jeddak of Thark.
Those same sites also speculate that the first three books in the series may be compressed into one movie because of the inclusion of characters like Matai Shang. While that is certainly a possibility, word is that Stanton may actually produce two sequels, so we'll have to wait and see what happens.
It's almost guaranteed that some changes to the story and world of Barsoom will occur in the transition from book to big screen but so many people have been waiting for this project to happen I think that there is a lot of room for creative tolerance. I hope so.
And one more thing -- if you read anywhere that Taylor Kitsch has been doing cocaine on the set of this movie -- don't believe it. How could he be doing that if the movie hasn't started filming yet? Some people just like to start silly rumors and that is all it is.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
You can stay on top of the latest developments at SF-Fandom's John Carter of Mars movie discussion, too.
Here is the latest cast rundown provided by IMDB:
- Lynn Collins ... Dejah Thoris
- Taylor Kitsch ... John Carter
- Willem Dafoe ... Tars Tarkas
- Mark Strong ... Matai Shang
- Dominic West ... Sab Than
- Thomas Haden Church ... Tal Hajus
- James Purefoy ... Kantos Kan
- Daryl Sabara ... Edgar Rice Burrows (Burroughs)
- Samantha Morton ... Sola
- Polly Walker ... Sarkoja
Several Web sites are reporting or speculating that Tal Hajus is a "would-be ruler" of the Green Men. In the book he IS the Jeddak of Thark, the tribe of Green Men who capture John Carter and Dejah Thoris. Tars Tarkus eventually kills Tal Hajus and succeeds him as Jeddak of Thark.
Those same sites also speculate that the first three books in the series may be compressed into one movie because of the inclusion of characters like Matai Shang. While that is certainly a possibility, word is that Stanton may actually produce two sequels, so we'll have to wait and see what happens.
It's almost guaranteed that some changes to the story and world of Barsoom will occur in the transition from book to big screen but so many people have been waiting for this project to happen I think that there is a lot of room for creative tolerance. I hope so.
And one more thing -- if you read anywhere that Taylor Kitsch has been doing cocaine on the set of this movie -- don't believe it. How could he be doing that if the movie hasn't started filming yet? Some people just like to start silly rumors and that is all it is.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
More actors announced for "John Carter of Mars"
The Hollywood Reporter announced three more cast members for the upcoming "John Carter of Mars" movie, which Disney just mentioned will be released in the summer of 2012.
"John Carter of Mars" is based on Edgar Rice Burroughs' novel A Princess of Mars (first published in 1912 -- does anyone smell a "Year of Edgar Rice Burroughs" coming on?), the first of 10 books that ERB published about Barsoom (although those books take place in a larger fictional universe that includes classic characters such as Tarzan and Carson Napier of Venus).
From The Hollywood Reporter's story:
So the cast lineup presently looks like this:
So how does the story play out? John Carter is an ex-Confederate soldier (from Virginia) who seeks his fortune out west after the Union wins the war. When his partner is killed by Apaches Carter finds himself trapped in a cave, where he sort of dies at night after gazing longingly with all his soul upon the planet Mars.
He wakes up naked in an ochre-moss plain, discovers an incubator for a tribe or nation of 12-foot-tall four-armed green men (who have tusks protruding from their mouths). Because he was born on Earth, Carter is immensely strong compared to the Martians (Barsoomians) and it doesn't take him long to win a place among the cruel, savage green hordes.
But Carter discovers Mars has a gentler, more civilized "human" species when he meets Dejah Thoris, princess of Helium, with whom he falls in love. Carter helps Dejah Thoris escape her green captors (while befriending Tars Tarkas, one of their princes) and return to her people.
Tarkas takes risks in befriending Carter (and Thoris) but he himself has a tale to tell. In his youth, going against all tradition, he and one of his tribe's females secretly had a daughter (Sola) whom they tried to raise in secret. Sarkoja, as evil and cruel a green woman as ever lived, learned of Sola and had her mothered put to death. Ignorant of who Sola's father was, Sarkoja raised Sola as a slave. Carter eventually learned the whole story from Sola and told it to Tars Tarkas. Well, you can imagine where things might go from there.
Sab Than is a red man, a prince from the city of Zodanga, who seeks to marry Dejah Thoris. John Carter must win her back from this unsuitable suitor and destroy the threat that Zodanga poses to the whole of Barsoom.
Oh, exciting times, they are awaitin' us at the theater (assuming any of this plot makes it into the movies).
Disney has assured people that "John Carter of Mars" will be a live-action movie that uses a lot of CGI effects.
Pixar's Andrew Stanton is directing the movie, much of which will be filmed in Utah this fall.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
"John Carter of Mars" is based on Edgar Rice Burroughs' novel A Princess of Mars (first published in 1912 -- does anyone smell a "Year of Edgar Rice Burroughs" coming on?), the first of 10 books that ERB published about Barsoom (although those books take place in a larger fictional universe that includes classic characters such as Tarzan and Carson Napier of Venus).
From The Hollywood Reporter's story:
English actors Samantha Morton, Dominic West and Polly Walker have joined "John Carter of Mars," Disney's adaptation of the Edgar Rice Burroughs book series that Andrew Stanton is directing.
So the cast lineup presently looks like this:
- Taylor Kitsch stars as John Carter
- Lynn Collins plays Dejah Thoris
- Willem Dafoe plays Tars Tarkas
- Samantha Morton plays Sola
- Dominic West plays Sab Than
- Polly Walker plays Sarkoja
So how does the story play out? John Carter is an ex-Confederate soldier (from Virginia) who seeks his fortune out west after the Union wins the war. When his partner is killed by Apaches Carter finds himself trapped in a cave, where he sort of dies at night after gazing longingly with all his soul upon the planet Mars.
He wakes up naked in an ochre-moss plain, discovers an incubator for a tribe or nation of 12-foot-tall four-armed green men (who have tusks protruding from their mouths). Because he was born on Earth, Carter is immensely strong compared to the Martians (Barsoomians) and it doesn't take him long to win a place among the cruel, savage green hordes.
But Carter discovers Mars has a gentler, more civilized "human" species when he meets Dejah Thoris, princess of Helium, with whom he falls in love. Carter helps Dejah Thoris escape her green captors (while befriending Tars Tarkas, one of their princes) and return to her people.
Tarkas takes risks in befriending Carter (and Thoris) but he himself has a tale to tell. In his youth, going against all tradition, he and one of his tribe's females secretly had a daughter (Sola) whom they tried to raise in secret. Sarkoja, as evil and cruel a green woman as ever lived, learned of Sola and had her mothered put to death. Ignorant of who Sola's father was, Sarkoja raised Sola as a slave. Carter eventually learned the whole story from Sola and told it to Tars Tarkas. Well, you can imagine where things might go from there.
Sab Than is a red man, a prince from the city of Zodanga, who seeks to marry Dejah Thoris. John Carter must win her back from this unsuitable suitor and destroy the threat that Zodanga poses to the whole of Barsoom.
Oh, exciting times, they are awaitin' us at the theater (assuming any of this plot makes it into the movies).
Disney has assured people that "John Carter of Mars" will be a live-action movie that uses a lot of CGI effects.
Pixar's Andrew Stanton is directing the movie, much of which will be filmed in Utah this fall.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
Sunday, August 2, 2009
New film based on The Land That Time Forgot
C. Thomas Howell and Timothy Bottoms co-star in a new adaptation of Edgar Rice Burroughs' "The Land That Time Forgot", which opened this weekend (I think). I only just found out about the movie, so I guess there has been little to no advance publicity (or else the publicists did not know to reach out to ERB fans).
Here is the trailer.
You can read about Caspak, The Land That Time Forgot, in an old article on Xenite.Org. I'll get around to updating that section someday.
Please feel free to share your thoughts of the movie here on this blog or in our Land That Time Forgot discussion on SF-Fandom.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
Here is the trailer.
You can read about Caspak, The Land That Time Forgot, in an old article on Xenite.Org. I'll get around to updating that section someday.
Please feel free to share your thoughts of the movie here on this blog or in our Land That Time Forgot discussion on SF-Fandom.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Willem Dafoe to play Tars Tarkus in John Carter movie
This is old news by the time you read it, but Willem Dafoe has accepted the role of Tars Tarkus in the upcoming "John Carter of Mars" movies. Some fans have expressed reservation over the use of Dafoe in this role, but I think he is exactly the kind of actor who can carry the character.
Either they'll redefine what the Green Men of Barsoom look like or they will use CGI technology to make the actors look like 12-foot-tall, four-armed humanoids from the books. Tars Tarkus has to be a strong, powerful character. The audience has to believe that a true leader of the Green Men becomes Carter's best friend on Mars. I think Willem Dafoe is a good choice to fulfill that role.
His work in the "Spider-man" movies also provides me with hope that there may be a franchise in the making. If the first movie is successful then there is surely room for more to follow -- and Dafoe having already participated in a fantasy movie franchise seems a good choice for another.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
Either they'll redefine what the Green Men of Barsoom look like or they will use CGI technology to make the actors look like 12-foot-tall, four-armed humanoids from the books. Tars Tarkus has to be a strong, powerful character. The audience has to believe that a true leader of the Green Men becomes Carter's best friend on Mars. I think Willem Dafoe is a good choice to fulfill that role.
His work in the "Spider-man" movies also provides me with hope that there may be a franchise in the making. If the first movie is successful then there is surely room for more to follow -- and Dafoe having already participated in a fantasy movie franchise seems a good choice for another.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Pulp Science Fiction and Fantasy Authors Forum
To be honest, I don't recall exactly when we created our Pulp Science Fiction and Fantasy Authors Forum. I believe it goes all the way back to 2000, when we first expanded the Xenite.Org forums. We currently only have discussion threads going back to 2003 because we have lost a few databases and changed a few servers and software packages since 2000/2001.
SF-Fandom has added and dropped many forums through the years. I only reluctantly drop them when interest in their topics becomes so small that even the moderators don't look at the threads any more.
Times were simpler in 2003. We had a few threads mostly about Edgar Rice Burroughs and Robert E. Howard's Conan. We've collected many other discussions through the years. I was thinking though that it would be nice to link to some of the older, more interesting threads -- especially some that highlighted other sites.
We're currently following news on the upcoming "John Carter of Mars" movie in the Pulp Authors Forum, as well as events relating to the celebration of pulp authors, stories, and characters. Here is a quick rundown of our most recent discussions:
Drop by the forums and browse our discussions. You may find something you like and a good reason to stay and join our community.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
SF-Fandom has added and dropped many forums through the years. I only reluctantly drop them when interest in their topics becomes so small that even the moderators don't look at the threads any more.
Times were simpler in 2003. We had a few threads mostly about Edgar Rice Burroughs and Robert E. Howard's Conan. We've collected many other discussions through the years. I was thinking though that it would be nice to link to some of the older, more interesting threads -- especially some that highlighted other sites.
- Public Domain ERB
- Smithsonian on pulp art (the link in Mark's post should be updated to this)
- Conan movie still in the works? (the movie was never made, but a new "Conan" film is supposedly slated for release in 2010 -- yeah, right)
- League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and the Pulps
- Solomon Kane question
- Info on Frank Frazetta movie (it was called "Frazetta - Painting With Fire" and was released in 2003)
- John Norman's Gor Books (probably one of our longest running if intermittent discussions)
We're currently following news on the upcoming "John Carter of Mars" movie in the Pulp Authors Forum, as well as events relating to the celebration of pulp authors, stories, and characters. Here is a quick rundown of our most recent discussions:
- NEW illustrated editions of the John Carter series coming out
- Taylor Kitsch rumored for lead in "John Carter of Mars"
- French Museum exhibit challenges Tarzan-inspired myths
- Robert E. Howard fans celebrate his poetry this June
- Alex Ross talks Buck Rogers, Issue #0 coming May 2
Drop by the forums and browse our discussions. You may find something you like and a good reason to stay and join our community.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Pixar moves forward with "John Carter" concept art, casting
SciFi Wire announced a short while ago that Andrew Stanton is hard at work on a second draft of his script for "John Carter of Mars", which the studio plans to release in 2012.
"John Carter of Mars" is based on Edgar Rice Burroughs' classic pulp adventure story A Princess of Mars (which you can download for free).
Over the past year, Stanton has indicated that he wants to move the John Carter character away from the Frank Frazetta characterization that has become so familiar to ERB fans over the past few decades. While this decision may unsettle hard-core ERB fans, I think Pixar has shown a clear ability to bring an interesting fresh perspective to the stories it develops. I'm willing to cut them some slack.
Edgar Rice Burroughs wrote A Princess of Mars as a four-part serial in 1912 and it was subsequently published in book form in 1917. Burroughs published 9 more John Carter of Mars books and his son John Colman Burroughs published an 11th book after ERB died in 1950 (JCB wrote the first story in the book, "The Giant of Mars").
Edgar Rice Burroughs planted clues in many of his books that helped tie his various 20th century heroes together. Hence, Tarzan went to Pellucidar, Carson Napier of Venus actually tried to reach Carter's Barsoom (Mars), as did Julian of "The Moon Men".
Philip Jose Farmer later drew upon ERB's heroic universe when he created the Wold Newton Universe (so named by Win Scott Eckert, who wrote the introductory essay on that site).
Andrew Stanton's plans for John Carter may alienate long-time fans of Edgar Rice Burroughs (many of whom closely associate the Frank Frazetta art style with ERB's fiction). ERB's heroes are often placed in a class with Robert E. Howard's classic pulp heroes like Cormac Mac Art, Kull the Conqueror, and Conan the Barbarian. Howard purists hate revisionistic changes to Howard's characters and they did not support the Kevin Sorbo film adaptation of "Kull the Conqueror" (actually, they weren't big fans of Dino de Lauentis' adaptations of the Conan character).
Kevin Sorbo fans weren't happy with "Kull", either, so the movie flopped. But purists don't always decide whether a movie franchise will be successful. While Harry Potter purists have been divided over the quality of the first three movies they seem to have fallen silent in the wake of the film franchise's success.
And I don't think many people remember just how much Tolkien purist opposition there was to the Peter Jackson interpretation of Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings (which has been extensively criticized for departing from the book in many ways).
If you want to know what Burroughs' John Carter was like, you should definitely read the books. The first few are available as free downloads from Project Gutenberg (see the link above). I feel that the fourth book in the series, The Chessmen of Mars was the best. The story follows the adventures of Carter's daughter, Tara of Helium, and the man who wants to become her husband.
Follow the "John Carter of Mars" movie discussions in our Pulp Authors Forum at SF-Fandom.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
"John Carter of Mars" is based on Edgar Rice Burroughs' classic pulp adventure story A Princess of Mars (which you can download for free).
Over the past year, Stanton has indicated that he wants to move the John Carter character away from the Frank Frazetta characterization that has become so familiar to ERB fans over the past few decades. While this decision may unsettle hard-core ERB fans, I think Pixar has shown a clear ability to bring an interesting fresh perspective to the stories it develops. I'm willing to cut them some slack.
Edgar Rice Burroughs wrote A Princess of Mars as a four-part serial in 1912 and it was subsequently published in book form in 1917. Burroughs published 9 more John Carter of Mars books and his son John Colman Burroughs published an 11th book after ERB died in 1950 (JCB wrote the first story in the book, "The Giant of Mars").
Edgar Rice Burroughs planted clues in many of his books that helped tie his various 20th century heroes together. Hence, Tarzan went to Pellucidar, Carson Napier of Venus actually tried to reach Carter's Barsoom (Mars), as did Julian of "The Moon Men".
Philip Jose Farmer later drew upon ERB's heroic universe when he created the Wold Newton Universe (so named by Win Scott Eckert, who wrote the introductory essay on that site).
Andrew Stanton's plans for John Carter may alienate long-time fans of Edgar Rice Burroughs (many of whom closely associate the Frank Frazetta art style with ERB's fiction). ERB's heroes are often placed in a class with Robert E. Howard's classic pulp heroes like Cormac Mac Art, Kull the Conqueror, and Conan the Barbarian. Howard purists hate revisionistic changes to Howard's characters and they did not support the Kevin Sorbo film adaptation of "Kull the Conqueror" (actually, they weren't big fans of Dino de Lauentis' adaptations of the Conan character).
Kevin Sorbo fans weren't happy with "Kull", either, so the movie flopped. But purists don't always decide whether a movie franchise will be successful. While Harry Potter purists have been divided over the quality of the first three movies they seem to have fallen silent in the wake of the film franchise's success.
And I don't think many people remember just how much Tolkien purist opposition there was to the Peter Jackson interpretation of Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings (which has been extensively criticized for departing from the book in many ways).
If you want to know what Burroughs' John Carter was like, you should definitely read the books. The first few are available as free downloads from Project Gutenberg (see the link above). I feel that the fourth book in the series, The Chessmen of Mars was the best. The story follows the adventures of Carter's daughter, Tara of Helium, and the man who wants to become her husband.
Follow the "John Carter of Mars" movie discussions in our Pulp Authors Forum at SF-Fandom.
SF-Fandom is a moderated, fan-run community devoted to science fiction, fantasy, history, and mythology. SF-Fandom was founded in 2001 and is part of the Xenite.Org network. Free registration is required to post. Please be sure you read our Posting Guidelines.
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