.
From our Barsoom and John
Carter of Mars sites:
Disney's John Carter of Mars - Official Casting Call
and Plot Details
The ODI ~ December
08, 2009
Star Now Casting
Calls: Canada
 With the major
players in place, Disney is looking for actors to round out the cast of
John Carter of Mars!
Disney's live-action John Carter of Mars movie adaptation of the classic
book series by Edgar Rice Burroughs was originally scheduled to begin shooting
in November, but the date has been pushed back to an early 2010 start.
It is still unclear why the film was delayed, but apparently the casting
process is still incomplete. SpoilerTVrecently
listed this new casting call sheet for John Carter of Mars:
Director: Andrew Stanton
Starring: Taylor Kitsch as John Carter, Willem Dafoe as Tars Tarkas,
Lynn Collins as Dejah Thoris and Mark Strong as Matai Shang
Synopsis: A damaged civil war veteran finds himself mysteriously transported
to Mars where his involvements with warring races of the dying planet force
him to rediscover his humanity.
[STABLE BOY] 9 yrs old, Mestizo – a mixture of European and Native
American or Mexican decent, no lines, 1 scene
[DIX] The storekeeper, 40’s – 50’s, built like a lumberjack/longshoreman,
strong & husky, 5 lines, 1 scene
[1ST ROWDY] Late 20’s – early 30’s, rough and dirty, worn looking,
1 line, 1 scene
[2ND ROWDY] Late 20’s – early 30’s, rough and dirty, worn looking,
1 line, 1 scene
[CAVALRYMAN/SERGEANT] Early 30’s, clean cut, 2 lines, 1 scene
[US STOCKADE PRISON GUARD] Mid 20’s – early 30’s, clean cut, 4 lines,
2 scenes
[APACHE LEADER] 40’s - 60s, Native American, must speak Apache, wise
and experienced with a weathered face. Multiple lines, 1 scene
[TWITCHY CORPORAL] 20’s - 30s, a shifty bad guy, not to be trusted.
1 line, 1 scene.
[YOUNG THARK WARRIOR] 20’S, tall (6’ PLUS), athletic, experience working
on stilts, MOTION PICTURE CAPTURE ROLE
Willem Dafoe Discusses John Carter of
Mars & His Tars Tarks Character
October 21, 2009
 Willem Dafoe
who is slated to play Tars Tarkas in Disney's John Carter of Mars
recently spoke to the AICN, about his role in John Carter and revealed,
that his character has four arms and is 9 feet tall.
"I've seen a lot of the designs and things, and I’ve just started to
do prep work now. We've starting doing scans and things like that,
but it's going to be a real full-on. Well, I'm nine feet tall with
four arms, but, just from the scheduling, I'm going to do the stuff. They'll
use my face, but they'll enhance it in a way – both after and before –
in a way that I may not be recognizable. But, I'm good with that. It's
particularly cool, because he's a creature, but he's got this huge range
of character. And, he does cool things in the movies.
"There's a whole period where we're going to work with the language
and the movement, and find out how I'm going to be nine feet tall, and
all that stuff. . . like, a long period of time where we're going to go
to Thark school. We're going to create our culture. So, it's going to be
very cool. These guys know how to do this, and they've got great people.
And, the designs and things are just mind-blowing."
Church, Purefoy & Strong join JC cast
September 29, 2009
Thomas Haden Church, James Purefoy and Mark Strong have joined the
cast of joined "John Carter of Mars," Disney's adaptation of the Edgar
Rice Burroughs book series that Andrew Stanton is directing. Church plays
Tal Hajus, an ambitious and vicious Thark warrior who is biding his time
to be a ruler. Purefoy plays Kantos Kan, the captain of the Xavarian, the
kingdom of Helium's grand warship. Strong is Matai Shang, the ruler of
the Thems with godlike status.
The casting reveals a bit about the movie's plot, which would appear
to combine elements of Burroughs' first Barsoom book, A Princess of
Mars; the second, The Gods of Mars; and the third, The Warlord
of Mars.
Lynn Collins Gets 'A Really Great Tan'
To Become Alien Princess In 'John Carter Of Mars'
MTV MoviesBlog
~ September 24, 2009
 Edgar Rice
Burroughs' "John Carter of Mars," is going to start shooting in Utah as
early as January of next year. Pre-production continues to move steadily
forward on the hybrid live action/CGI film. As co-star Lynn Collins told
MTV's Josh Horowitz, she's already seen workups of fight sequences she'll
have to film and, last week, some initial effects work kicked into gear.
"We're actually getting into some hair and makeup tests this week to
see what the look is like," said Collins, who plays the humanoid Martian
princess Dejah Thoris. "It's really collaborative and really creative and
I'm really excited about it." The preliminary idea is not to bury Collins
under prosthetics and heavy-duty makeup but to create a look that would
not be out of place on a tropical island. "I think they're going more like
a really great tan, like the best-tan-you-can-ever-imagine type of thing,"
she said. "I've yet to find it. Maybe the makeup team will be able to."
 There's no word
yet how the rest of the cast will end up looking. Joining Collins in "John
Carter" is her "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" co-star Taylor Kitsch as the
title character, a Civil War vet inexplicably transported to the Red Planet,
where he stumbles upon all manner of alien adventures. "Taylor is so amazing,"
Collins said. "We went to Pixar and saw some of the workups of some of
the fighting that we have to do. I was like, 'Oh my god, there's just no
guy better for the job. He's so athletic and wonderful and such a great
actor and so positive.'"
Calling her character "a priestess of science and letters," Collins
extolled co-writer/director Andrew Stanton's ("WALL-E," "Finding Nemo")
vision for "John Carter." "Edgar Rice Burroughs was a really smart writer,
so smart that some of the stuff I can hardly wrap my head around, so that's
up to Pixar to see if they can put in visually to life," the actress said,
adding, "It's completely satirical and politically on point, I'd say."
More>>>
Andrew Stanton discussed the film in
the MTV Movies Blog:
 "We're
full bore on it right now. We're over the hump of the writing phase, and
we're certainly far from rewrites. I don't want to be dissing it but it
almost had an absence of a story for a feature film because it was very
episodic. In its day it was a comic book. I mean, this book was written
in 1912. It was the comic book you got in the time before there was such
a thing as comic books. So, it was really just about the next fight, the
next adventure, the next romance.
"The key was putting a story into it and creating characters that had
to grow and real basic stuff that we all know a movie needs. Fortunately
it's an old enough story. There isn't such huge allegiance to it that people
won't mind that we muck with it a bit to hopefully amplify the essence
of what made me interested in it as a young kid and hopefully will keep
me interested in it as an adult. There's so much in it that can't be real.
It's the perfect definition of a hybrid movie."
John Carter of Mars Casts Brits as Tharks
and a Zodangan
Morton, West and Walker Join ERB's Mars Film
Aug 25th, 2009 ~ From the Web: 1
| 2
| 3 | 4
|
The cast of Disney's big budget adaptation of Edgar Rice Burroughs'
John Carter of Mars continues to grow, with the news this week that three
Brits have found roles that do much to flesh out the story's rich alien
mythology. Playing Sola, Tarkas' daughter who must hide her softer side
from her warrior race, will be Samantha Morton (Minority Report). Polly
Walker (the sexy Atia in HBO's Rome) will be playing a more typical Thark,
Sarkoja, who is described as "merciless" and "tyrannical." Finally, there
is Dominic West (The Wire), who will be playing Sab Than, the prince of
the Zodangans who believes it is his destiny to rule Barsoom, which we
know better as Mars. . . . League of Extraordinary Gentlemen actor Jason
Flemyng has let slip that he could well be in line for a role in the film.
Samantha Morton ~ Dominic West ~ Polly Walker
Willem Dafoe cast for Tars Tarkas
Variety
~ July 15, 2009
 Willem Dafoe
will star alongside Taylor Kitsch and Lynn Collins in "John Carter of Mars,"
the Walt Disney Pictures fantasy epic to be directed by "Wall-E" helmer
Andrew Stanton.
Dafoe will play the role of Tars Tarkas, a fierce green Martian warrior,
who's unusual among his savage race for his ability to love. Tars develops
an alliance with John Carter in the first film, which is based on "A Princess
of Mars."
He fights battles alongside Carter through the entire series of Edgar
Rice Burroughs books, so he will be hanging around for sequels.
Jim Morris and Colin Wilson are producing. Stanton wrote the script
with Mark Andrews.
More>>>
Visit the ERBzine Thark Galleries at:
http://www.erbzine.com/mag13/1390.html
See the ERB, Inc. Barsoom site at:
http://www.barsoom.com
John Carter of Mars
is Cast
Taylor Kitsch has been cast as in the lead role in John Carter
Of Mars. Canadian Kitsch played Gambit in X-Men Origins:
Wolverine.
Lynn Collins has joined the cast as Dejah Thoris, aka the Princess
Of Mars. Collins played the Siverfox role in X-Men Origins: Wolverine.
Thomas Hayden Church told Jeffrey Lyons of Reel
Talk that he will also be joining the film, in what he's calling a
"very dramatic role."
     
Kitsch ~ Collins ~ Church
Taylor Kitsch, Lynn Collins blast off to 'Mars'
Disney adapting Edgar Rice Burroughs book series
Hollywood
Reporter ~ June 12, 2009
Taylor Kitsch and Lynn Collins will star in "John Carter of Mars,"
the adaptation of the Edgar Rice Burroughs book series that Andrew Stanton
is directing for Disney. The movie is a big step for Stanton -- who as
one of Pixar's top creators directed the company's animated films "Finding
Nemo" and "WALL-E" but will now helm his first live-action feature -- and
Disney, which hopes the big-budget production will launch a franchise on
the scale of "Pirates of the Caribbean."
"Carter" centers on a civil war veteran who finds himself mysteriously
transported to Mars, where his involvement with warring races of the dying
planet force him to rediscover his humanity. Kitsch will play the title
character, while Collins is playing Dejah Thoris, heir to the throne of
Mars' Helium kingdom.
Stanton wrote the screenplay with Mark Andrews. Jim Morris, who produced
"WALL-E," and Colin Wilson are producing "Carter," which is eyeing a start
in early 2010. Brigham Taylor is overseeing for the studio.
The role of Carter was considered one of the "gets" for a young actor,
and Disney has spent months meeting and testing a wide swath of names from
Jon Hamm to Josh Duhamel during its search. Canadian-born Kitsch, repped
by WMA and Untitled, began building buzz with his starring role on NBC's
"Friday Night Lights." Before long, he was considered one of the town's
next generation of leading men, especially when he booked the role of Gambit
in "Wolverine."
Collins, repped by WME and 3 Arts, had a recurring gig on HBO's "True
Blood" but appeared with Kitsch in "Wolverine," which raised her profile
considerably. She next stars opposite Joseph Gordon-Levitt in "Uncertainty,"
which IFC is releasing this year.
Kitsch, Collins to star in 'John Carter'
Andrew Stanton helming Disney's fantasy epic
Variety.com
~ June 12, 2009
Walt Disney Pictures has set "Wolverine" stars Taylor Kitsch and Lynn
Collins to star in "John Carter of Mars," a fantasy epic that marks the
live action directorial debut of "Wall-E" helmer Andrew Stanton.
Kitsch, a member of the "Friday Night Lights" ensemble who made his
screen breakthrough as Gambit in "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," will play
the title character, a damaged Civil War veteran who finds himself mysteriously
transported to Mars where his involvements with a warring race of the dying
planet force him to rediscover his humanity.
Collins will play Dejah Thoris, the Princess of Mars. Collins worked
with Kitsch in "Wolverine," playing Hugh Jackman's character's love interest
Kayla Silverfox. She also co-stars in the HBO vampire drama "True Blood."
Pic will begin filming early next year. Jim Morris and Colin Wilson
are producing. Stanton wrote the script with Mark Andrews.
Utah will be stage for Mars in new Disney
film
The deal will bring millions to the state and employ nearly 400
Utahns.
The Salt Lake Tribune
~ June 12, 2009
 First as the
planet Vulcan and now the red rocks of Mars, Utah has become Hollywood's
destination spot for depicting exotic intergalactic worlds. Disney and
Pixar are expected to partly film the pulp science-fiction adventure "John
Carter of Mars" in Utah from November to July 2010. Portions of the Beehive
State will double as Mars, including Lake Powell (where the original "Planet
of the Apes" was partially filmed), Moab, and Kane and Wayne counties.
"It's the biggest movie we've ever used incentives on," said Utah Film
Commission executive director Marshall Moore. "We haven't seen these kinds
of numbers since doing a TV series for a year." The San Rafael Swell already
doubled as the planet Vulcan in this year's summer blockbuster "Star Trek,"
but second-unit crews only shot for four days in Utah.
Disney is scheduled to shoot in Utah for 45 days. The story, based on
the Edgar Rice Burroughs science-fiction book series -- which begins with
A Princess of Mars -- is about an American Civil War veteran who is transported
to Mars to face a series of adventures.
Burroughs, who was born in Chicago, was no stranger to Utah, working
as a railroad police officer in Salt Lake City in 1904.
Disney to produce new film in Utah
KSL.com ~ June
11th, 2009
SALT LAKE CITY -- Utah's new movie incentives bill has landed the state
its first big-time motion picture project.
Take the Walt Disney company, combine it with Pixar and Utah scenery,
and you're going to have the movie "John Carter of Mars." It's based on
a series of books about a Civil War vet transported to the Red Planet.
Governor's Office of Economic Development Director Jason Perry is stoked.
"This is a place where Disney will start looking as the place where they
will want to do all of their films," he said. The film will bring hundreds
of cast and crew members to the state during production. "This is over
400 people involved in full-time work for seven-straight months here in
the State of Utah. This is going to put our film crews to work. It's really
going to put us on the map as a place to film," Perry said.
Chabon Revising "John Carter of Mars"
Script
Kavalier and Clay
Site ~ April 9, 2009
 Michael
Chabon: ( (pronounced “Shea as in Stadium, Bon as in Jovi”) “I’ve been
hired to do some revisions to an already strong script by Andrew Stanton
and Mark Andrews. I wrote my original screenplay
The Martian Agent
back in 1995 because I wished I could do [Edgar Rice] Burroughs's Barsoom.
So this is pretty much a dream come true for me.”
Chabon has written some highly respected books over the years,
including Wonder Boys, The Yiddish Policemen's Union and
The
Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, which is essential reading
for any comic book fan. Rogert Ebert, reviewing the Spider-Mansequel,
said, "One of the keys to the movie's success must be the contribution
of novelist Michael Chabon to the screenplay; Chabon understands in his
bones what comic books are, and why."
Disney got the option rights to Burroughs' 11-volume series in 2007
after the rights lapsed at Paramount Pictures. Andrew Stanton, the writer
and director of Finding Nemo and WALL-E, is set to direct.
It’s expected to hit theaters in 2012.
Chabon Bio
| IMDB.com
Disney scouts
South Australia for mars landscape
The
Advertiser - Adelaide ~ March 30, 2009
 South
Australia could form the backdrop for two of Disney's biggest forthcoming
films, John Carter of Mars and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea: Captain Nemo.
Senior representatives of Walt Disney Studios have scouted the state for
locations for the upcoming blockbusters although no decisions have been
made. John Carter of Mars is being written and directed by Andrew Stanton,
who made the Oscar-winning Wall-E. Bruce Hendricks, Disney's president
of physical production and producer of all three Pirates of the Caribbean
movies scouted SA for locations on the weekend of March 22 and 23. John
Carter of Mars, based on Edgar Rice Burroughs' classic science-fiction
novel series, is scheduled to begin shooting next year. The makers
of Paramount's aborted version of the film examined filming the movie at
locations near Coober Pedy in 2005. Breakaways Reserve and Moon Plain are
perfect stand-ins for alien and post-apocalyptic landscapes. The area has
been featured in films such as Pitch Black (1999), Red Planet (2000)
and Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome (1985). SA's major drawback for large-budget
films is a lack of studio space and facilities. Australia is seen as an
attractive proposition for American films at present with the low value
of the dollar against the greenback and the 15 percent rebate for foreign
films. More.
. .
|
Any day now,
Taylor Kitsch will cut his hair. To transform into the title character
in John Carter of Mars—Wall-E director Andrew Stanton’s first live-action
feature, based on Tarzan creator Edgar Rice Burrough’s sci-fi novels about
a Civil War veteran’s adventures on the Red Planet—the 28-year-old actor,
who plays the dreamy, brooding, beer-drinking, football-playing Tim Riggins
on NBC’s cult drama Friday Night Lights, will lop off his locks for the
first time since he was 19. "Hopefully, it's a 10-year job," Kitsch says
of the potential franchise, which co-stars Willem Dafoe, Samantha Morton
and Thomas Haden Church.
Filming has
begun in Utah, but most of Strong's part will be filmed on soundstages
outside of London. And even though there's some motion-capture animation
going on, he won't be part of most of it, despite the fact that his character
is a shape-shifter. He wasn't spilling any plot details or anything, but
his enthusiasm about working with Stanton and explanation of how his character
will work seemed worth sharing.
Strong says
he plays Matai Shang and “over the course of the 3 movies that they’re
envisioning making, and I’ve seen the synopsis of the 2nd and 3rd, Matai
Shang is basically John Carter’s nemesis.” He also confirms the movie is
both live action and motion capture and they are filming from January to
May in both London and Utah.
Wall-E, the
animated film dear to the hearts of Americans and green bloggers alike,
took home only one trophy out of its record-tying six nominations last
night. Director Andrew Stanton accepted the Oscar for the film in the "Best
Animated Film" category, a win that came as a surprise to no one. The film
was also nominated for Original Score, Original Song, Sound Editing, Sound
Mixing, and Original Screenplay. Its six nominations put it in company
with Beauty and the Beast, which is widely considered to be the best animated
film of all time.
WALL-E
director Andrew Stanton is working on a new draft of his proposed John
Carter of Mars movie and is aiming for a realistic feel to the live-action
movie, his first. "I'm deep into it," Stanton told SciFi Wire at the Los
Angeles Film Critics Association award ceremony, where he accepted the
award for best picture of 2008 for WALL-E. "I'm on my next draft of it.
We're in preproduction art-wise, and we're starting to talk to actors.
So it's full bore."
“It’s real.
We’re full bore on it right now. We’re over the hump of the writing phase,
and we’re certainly far from rewrites.”
