John Carter : A Princess of Mars

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http://superherohype.com/news.php?id=3073

http://www.nowplayingmag.com/content/view/1605/2/
Screenwriter Ehren Kruger is a busy man these days. With The Brothers Grimm and The Skeleton Key both coming this summer, plus scripts for Blood and Chocolate and John Carter of Mars in progress, the Ring and Scream 3 scripter is clearly sticking to the sci-fi and horror pictures that he got his start with. Now Playing recently grabbed Kruger for a quick update on some of these projects.

“I’m in the writing process for John Carter of Mars, working with the director — [Sky Captain’s] Kerry Conran,” says Kruger of the Edgar Rice Burroughs adaptation. “He’s in, too, with his visual design team — the effects, and the sort of outlandish worlds that need to be created for that. He has to design all that. So we’re pretty [well] along with the script. It’s a faithful adaptation to the novels, but the novels were written in the teens and ’20s, so there’s some degree of modernization just to the tone of them. But in terms to the story, we are trying to be as faithful as we can because those novels inspired a lot of the science fiction and fantasy that came later in the century.”



Woo-hoo! I've been waiting twenty years for someone to attempt this movie.
Having Conran attached to direct is a perfect idea IMO.

 

[Hunter Rider]

interesting,i don't know anything about it,is it gonna be some sort of big action movie or is it more adventure ?

 

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interesting,i don't know anything about it,is it gonna be some sort of big action movie or is it more adventure ?

Heres the cover to the original book:

Here's a brief synopsis of the book:
Although Edgar Rice Burroughs (1875-1950) is justifiably famous as the creator of Tarzan of the Apes, that uprooted Englishman was not his only popular hero. Burroughs's first sale (in 1912) was A Princess of Mars, opening the floodgates to one of the must successful--and prolific--literary careers in history. This is a wonderful scientific romance that perhaps can be best described as early science fiction melded with an epic dose of romantic adventure. A Princess of Mars is the first adventure of John Carter, a Civil War veteran who unexpectedly find himself transplanted to the planet Mars. Yet this red planet is far more than a dusty, barren place; it's a fantasy world populated with giant green barbarians, beautiful maidens in distress, and weird flora and monstrous fauna the likes of which could only exist in the author's boundless imagination. Sheer escapism of the tallest order, the Martian novels are perfect entertainment for those who find Tarzan's fantastic adventures aren't, well, fantastic enough. Although this novel can stand alone, there are a total of 11 volumes in this classic series of otherworldly, swashbuckling adventure.

 

[Hunter Rider]

Thanks green I like the sound of it,i wonder exactly how they will update it

 

[green]

Thanks green I like the sound of it,i wonder exactly how they will update it

Well they run around naked in most of the book, so imagine they'll start there
Not too sure, they really dont mention that its called A Princess of Mars so they be blending aspects from mor than one book, all of which are pretty good, some better than others. Some of the martians may be a little difficult to put on screen by their descriptions in the book, but that didnt stop Jackson and WETA from doing an incredible job. After seeing and liking Sky Captain(though I know lots of people didnt) Im really excited about this, it has amazing potential. The casting of John Carter and Dejah Thoris(the princess) will be vital.

 

[Hunter Rider]

Any ideas on who you'd like to cast ? if they keep the naked idea i say Scarlett

 

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Any ideas on who you'd like to cast ? if they keep the naked idea i say Scarlett

You'd cast Scarlett in everything . Well the Princess(and her race of people are red skinned) they could change that, though I really think they shouldnt. She is suppose to be the most beautiful woman...blah,blah,blah, yeah I guess Scarlett would work she'd need dark hair though. John carter himself is suppose to be early thirties if I recall, he's been at war and come back. I always thought Matthew Mcconaughey(sp?) would make a good John Carter, they may look ant someone younger for this though. Whoever they get has to be in great shape as John Carter is described. When he arrives on Mars the gravity of the planet affects him, he can jump long distances, he's stronger, etc....

 

[The Lizard]

I discovered E.R. Burroughs' Mars books when I was in middle school, and I loved them. I hope the film version is well-done.

 

[Hunter Rider]

You'd cast Scarlett in everything . Well the Princess(and her race of people are red skinned) they could change that, though I really think they shouldnt. She is suppose to be the most beautiful woman...blah,blah,blah, yeah I guess Scarlett would work she'd need dark hair though. John carter himself is suppose to be early thirties if I recall, he's been at war and come back. I always thought Matthew Mcconaughey(sp?) would make a good John Carter, they may look ant someone younger for this though. Whoever they get has to be in great shape as John Carter is described. When he arrives on Mars the gravity of the planet affects him, he can jump long distances, he's stronger, etc....

Mchounahgey isn't a bad actor and i liked him in Sahara so he could work from what youve described

 

[The Lizard]

No Scarlett Johannsen!


Anyway, I can't wait to see what Tars Tarkas would look like. Hopefully much better than Goro from Mortal Kombat!

 

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Mchounahgey isn't a bad actor and i liked him in Sahara so he could work from what youve described

Techinically, he's too short, but I wont nit-pick over things like that. I didnt see Sahara...was it any good?

 

[Hunter Rider]

Techinically, he's too short, but I wont nit-pick over things like that. I didnt see Sahara...was it any good?

it was fun,kinda like Indy-lite

 

[green]

No Scarlett Johannsen!


Anyway, I can't wait to see what Tars Tarkas would look like. Hopefully much better than Goro from Mortal Kombat!

Why no Scarlett Lizard?
Tar Tarkas is one bad mofo....I cant wait to see what Woola is gonna look like.

 

[The Lizard]

Scarlett is short, not that very attractive in the face, and most importantly, overexposed.

Dejah Thoris is supposed to look like warrior royalty, not a snobby Ivy League sophomore.

 

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Scarlett is short, not that very attractive in the face, and most importantly, overexposed.

Dejah Thoris is supposed to look like warrior royalty, not a snobby Ivy League sophomore.

Wow, ok, at least you are honest(brutally so) . To each his/her own.
Who would you cast as Dejah?

 

[Hunter Rider]

Scarlett is short, not that very attractive in the face, and most importantly, overexposed.

Dejah Thoris is supposed to look like warrior royalty, not a snobby Ivy League sophomore.

each to their own

 

[The Lizard]

Wow, ok, at least you are honest(brutally so) . To each his/her own.
Who would you cast as Dejah?

Don't get me wrong-- I thought Scarlett was great in Girl With a Pearl Earring, but I really can't see her as Dejah.

I'm thinking someone more exotic like Penelope Cruz or Mia Maestro.

 

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Don't get me wrong-- I thought Scarlett was great in Girl With a Pearl Earring, but I really can't see her as Dejah.

I'm thinking someone more exotic like Penelope Cruz or Mia Maestro.

Mia I could deal with but no Penelope (overbite) Cruz, who cant act unless it's in her own language. Personally I wish Giselle Bundchen could act....she would make one hell of Dejah (visually).

 

[The Lizard]

Personally I wish Giselle Bundchen could act....she would make one hell of Dejah (visually).

Yes...that's the tricky part. Dejah pretty much has to look like a supermodel - particularly since the Martian people aren't that fond of clothes in general.

Supermodels who can act are few and far between however.

 

[green]

Yes...that's the tricky part. Dejah pretty much has to look like a supermodel - particularly since the Martian people aren't that fond of clothes in general.

Giselle doesnt seem to be too fond of clothes either.

Supermodels who can act are few and far between however.

Too true...sadly.

 

[Hunter Rider]

 

[green]

A bit of in interview with Conran from awhile back.

http://www.comics2film.com/ProjectFrame.php?f_id=156
Soothsayer: There is a rumor that you will be directing the adaptation of Edgar Rice Burroughs "A Princess of Mars", the first novel in the John Carter of Mars series. Is that true?

Conran: That seems to be true.

Soothsayer: Are you a fan of those books as well?

Conran: Oh, sure. It had been many years since I had last read them and I have subsequently reread them. But I think in those books in particular you can see where George Lucas developed some of his ideas for "Star Wars" and where J.R.R. Tolkien came up with some of his ideas for "The Lord of the Rings" even. In a way the John Carter story is a combination of those two worlds. I also think that in that aspect it will be quite the opportunity and challenge to do something that audiences have quite seen before.

Soothsayer: I have been collecting some of the works of Edgar Rice Burroughs for going on 10 years now and I even have some Canadian first editions. I was so excited when John Carter was first optioned.

Conran: The film is going to be an enormous undertaking but we are excited and thrilled that we have been given the chance to finally bring it to life.

Soothsayer: Tars Tarkas, the four-armed man is going to be quite the challenge I imagine.

Conran: It is going to be quite tricky. But aside from it technically it is going to be hard to ring-out a performance especially since we want it to be a real and rich character.

Soothsayer: Did you ever see a rather bad '80s sci-fi movie called "Krull"?

Conran: Sure.

Soothsayer: Do you remember the Cyclops in "Krull"?

Conran: Vaguely. I really don't remember the movie very well other than the title.

Soothsayer: You might want to go back and look at that film again. In part, at least in my vision, the Cyclops in "Krull" is what I think that Tars Tarkas, the four-armed guy's personality would be like.

Conran: Really? Oh, wow. I will.

 

[Ratcrawler]

Really glad this site is covering news about this film John Carter is one of the characters who insPired Superman after all. He arrives on an alien planet with less gravity and atmosPhere which greatly boosts his strength and let's him jump around like the Hulk (Remember, when Superman first came out he didn't fly, he "leapt tall buildings in a single bound")

The adjective I like best to describe Dejah Thoris would have to be...Incomparable. Basically, you'd need to find a perfect female sPecimen and a trained actress. My first idea was Jessica Alba, but she'll be way to busy for these films. Preferably somebody in their early twenties, since she's also described as ever-youthful or something along those lines.

A few drawings I did of the characters...

http://www.picturedot.com/ArtistDefault-Pictures.asp?ProdID=139710

http://www.picturedot.com/ArtistDefault-Pictures.asp?ProdID=145211

 

[green]

Really glad this site is covering news about this film John Carter is one of the characters who insPired Superman after all. He arrives on an alien planet with less gravity and atmosPhere which greatly boosts his strength and let's him jump around like the Hulk (Remember, when Superman first came out he didn't fly, he "leapt tall buildings in a single bound")

Nice points Ratcrawler, I think people dont understand that Burroughs writings inspired alot of what we see in movies and characters nowadays.

 

[Ratcrawler]

As far as casting John Carter goes...Hugh Jackman seems like a likely choice and here's why: 6'2", black hair and between Wolverine and Van Helsing he really seems to enjoy playing ageless heroes who can't remember their pasts

Seriously though, do any of you guys think they'll alter that part in some way? It's one thing to have an ageless amnesiac but sending him to Mars without tying that into his past doesn't seem like a likely thing to happen. And the Martian people have thousand year life sPans (Martian years, mind you) so unless they lost that altogether they've got some creative rewriting to do. And what about Martian women laying eggs? The biggest question though is this; How are modern audiences supposed to accept a Mars that's populated with monsters, swashbucklers and scantily clad princesses? We know more about the surface of Mars than we do the ocean floor.

The way I see it, (with revisionist license) Mars can take place in the distance past or distant future. If the past, it can be around or just before life was beginning to develop on Earth. Maybe at the end John has some religious epiphany "If God created man in his own image then he did so on Mars too. That kind of lightening doesn't strike twice". or someming. Or it can take place in the future a la Planet of the Apes when Mars was long ago terraformed and populated. Everything mutated extra limbs after a while, but people learned how to stop these changes in themselves and that's why everything else on Mars has 6-8-10 limbs. The people who couldn't stop these changes from happening became a 14 ft green tall race of multilimbed warriors.

Anyone else got their 2 cents about this?