John Carter of Mars comes to the Big Screen!

[Tonguez]

I am so happy! Its long since due for John Carter to become BIG propert

and lets hope they get Weta Workshop to do the FX and CGI

 

[Tars Tarkus]

I hope they do a good job with the computer animated Tars Tarkas. He was the coolest charecter, after John Carter of course.

Why thank you!

 

[mmadsen]

Excellent news! I remember reading a long time ago that Ted Elliott & Terry Rossio (Pirates of the Caribbean) had written a Princess of Mars screenplay. That article only mentions a Mark Protosevich -- whose only writing credit seems to be The Cell. I'm not sure what to think of that.

 

[barsoomcore]

Yeah, it's hard to know what to make of this news. Rodriguez has pretty much lost me as his career has developed -- I thought OUATIM was an absolute mess, practically unwatchable, as was the second Spy Kids movie, and yet I know he's a genius.

If he can resist the urge to make it for $1.46, do all the special effects in his garage and shoot the entire film in 37 minutes, he's capable of making a BRILLIANT film of this story.

And a pink, naked, Salma Hayek? How bad could that be? Or Catherine Zeta-Jones? Here's one ticket: SOLD!

This goes on my "Films To Worry About" list -- the list of films I really WANT to be good, I really HOPE will be good, I really think COULD be good, but am not confident WILL be good. Come on, Robert. You can do it.

Yeah, okay, I'm taking this personally. Check out my name, for cripe's sake.

 

[Desdichado]

Yeah, it's hard to know what to make of this news. Rodriguez has pretty much lost me as his career has developed -- I thought OUATIM was an absolute mess, practically unwatchable, as was the second Spy Kids movie, and yet I know he's a genius.

I'm not sure that I'd call any of this films thus far the work of a genius. The original Spy Kids was pretty inventive, but looking at his list of credits I'm not exactly encouraged by much on there.

 

[Mark]

And a pink, naked, Salma Hayek? How bad could that be? Or Catherine Zeta-Jones? Here's one ticket: SOLD!

Be sure to get the large popcorn...

 

[Brown Jenkin]

I thought Noah Wyle was already cast as John Carter.

 

[barsoomcore]

I'm not sure that I'd call any of this films thus far the work of a genius.

Oh, agreed. None of his films count as works of genius. HE'S a genius, is what I'm saying. Read Rebel Without A Crew, his account of making El Mariachi. The man is brilliant.

Kind of insane, and possibly unable to make a film that will stand as a work of genius, but he's brilliant. I would be so happy if he would make a great film. He's made some awfully good films (El Mariachi and From Dusk To Dawn stand out, for me), but nothing I'd call unreservedly great. But I KNOW he's got a great film inside of him. And I know there's never been a film-maker quite like him.

So I always pull for him, even though he disappoints me.

 

[Tars Tarkus]

I found this interesting piece of news.

Paramount Pictures sees green in the red planet, inking
> a deal for $ 300,000 against $ 2 million for Edgar Rice
> Burroughs' 11-volume "John Carter of Mars" literary series.
>
> Par-based producers Jim Jacks and Sean Daniels' Alphaville
> Prods. plans to turn the first book into a movie.
>
> Though Rice Burroughs is best known for having penned the
> iconic "Tarzan of the Apes," the English writer's first book
> was "A Princess of Mars." Written in 1912, it was serialized
> in All-Story magazine under his nom de plume, Normal Bean.
>
> Jacks told Daily Variety that three of the best-known books
> (which include "Gods of Mars" and "The Warlord of Mars") are
> likely to be made into pics of a scope "akin to 'The Lord of
> the Rings' and 'Star Wars,' but were impossible to make before,
> because CGI (technology) wasn't there."
>
> The massive scope and f/x demands of the project weren't
> the only reasons the pic was not made previously. For almost
> a decade, Disney spent millions developing the "Mars" books
> as both a live action and animation franchise for Cinergi,
> Mario Kassar and Andy Vajna's production venture. Disney
> showered millions on the projects, developing for Tom Cruise
> to star and John McTiernan to direct a script from "Aladdin"
> co-scribes Terry Rossio and Ted Elliott.
>
> The Mouse House ultimately failed to greenlight either
> incarnation partly because in some parts of the world ---
> including North America, France and Germany --- the books
> have become public domain, which may create potential snags
> for ancillary revenue streams such as TV. It's not yet
> clear if this roadblock will be removed by the current
> negotiations.
>
> Even Jacks admits that there "is a complicated legal
> situation and significant rights (still) need to be acquired."
>
> Still, the deal is interesting for Paramount. Other than
> its "Star Trek" franchise, Par is not usually the home to
> pricey f/x-driven fantasy pics, though it found success
> with "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider." Studio brass obviously take
> comfort in knowing Jacks and Daniels are on the job --- the
> duo made Universal's wildly successful "The Mummy" and
> "The Mummy Returns" movies, which have a combined worldwide
> gross of more than $ 840 million.
>
> An offshoot of that franchise, "The Scorpion King,"
> which Alphaville also produced, opens this month ---
> though Jacks noted the "Mars" books were not necessarily
> intended as a starring vehicle for "King" star Dwayne
> Johnson (aka the Rock).
>
> Coupling science-fiction and romantic derring-do, "A
> Princess of Mars" is the first adventure of John Carter,
> a vet of the American Civil War who, while resting in a
> cave, finds himself transported to Mars.
>
> Instead of a dusty, lifeless rock, Carter finds Mars
> populated with giant (predictably green) men, and
> creatures both friendly and ferocious, disembodied and
> embodied. Along the way, Carter must save a princess,
> Dejah Thoris.
>
> Danton Burroughs, grandson of Edgar Rice Burroughs
> and a director of the rights holding company, noted that
> Disney was hardly the first to have tried to create an
> animated pic from the John Carter series: In 1936,
> Rice Burroughs collaborated with Warner Bros. animator
> Bob Clampett (who as a teen in 1930 had developed the
> first licensed Mickey Mouse doll for Walt Disney) to
> make a toon feature from the Carter books.
>
> Deal was brokered by attorney Sandra Galfas on
> behalf of the Rice Burroughs estate; she was not
> available for comment.

 

[Wombat]

I'm not sure that I'd call any of this films thus far the work of a genius. The original Spy Kids was pretty inventive, but looking at his list of credits I'm not exactly encouraged by much on there.

Y'know, considering ERB's works and Rodriguez, I think we have a match.

ERB was fun, but far from a great writer. I remember reading a quote from him where he said something to the effect of, "I only have one plot. Boy meets girl. Boy loses girl through social gaff. Boy fights to regain girl. Repeat." Be that as may be, there is a lot to be said for being fun without being much else

Then I look at Rodriguez's works -- the El Mariachi line gives you all the over-the-top violence of ERB, while the Spy Kids line gives you the sense of "WHEEEEE!" and all the whiz-bang special effects.

Sounds like Barsoom to me.