2012 INTRODUCTION We've had a tremendously busy month filled with interviews and custom image scanning for major publications in the US, UK and Canada. 

Now we're spending a fascinating time seeing how the various journalists have adapted the info I've provided. There hasn't always been a credit given, but generally their reporting on the ERB background has been pretty accurate. 

The main angles that many of the writers wanted to pursue were that the movie was "hard-to-follow difficult plot" (watch it again Newbie - read the books - review your 'Language of Film' courses) a "Star Wars/Avatar ripoff" (ERB did it all in 1911 - the debt owed by all those who came after) and its "bloated budget" (dedicated, state-of-the-art CG film-making which finally makes the filming of this very imaginative film possible after 100 years).

"John Carter" Team Visits Tarzana
Pre-production for the Disney"John Carter of Mars" film is gathering steam

Tarzana, CA: October 2, 2007
The Pixar creative team spent Tuesday morning exploring the massive Edgar Rice Burroughs archives in the ERB, Inc. offices on Ventura Blvd.  Pixar's Jim Morris (vp), Andrew Stanton (director), Mark Andrews (script) discussed the "John Carter of Mars" film project with Burroughs representatives, Danton Burroughs, Sandra Galfas and Jim Sullos. 

All six members at the meeting expressed a deep commitment to the project, acknowledging that they had been inspired by Burroughs' creations from a very early age. This is evidenced in the excitement held for the John Carter property and the plans for a film trilogy faithful to the Burroughs books. Projected release date is sometime before 2012.

Danton Burroughs presented the creative team with a wealth of resources, including art samples and books by ERB scholars such as Irwin Porges and John F. Roy. They noted that their major resource to date had been the thousands of official ERB, Inc. Webpages and Webzines.

~ Bill Hillman