Cool News
JOHN CARTER unleashes some new images...
Hey folks, Harry here... I haven't written a terrible lot about JOHN CARTER since the movie went into production. I was distancing myself. After spending the better part of a 6 years of my life to working on an adaptation, that came perilously close to filming on many ocassions... it's weird as living hell to talk about Andrew Stanton and Disney's take on it. I haven't been blown away by anything from the film thus far. The Thark design seems a bit emaciated for my mental image, the casting of John and Dejah made me cringe, and pretty much everything that Andrew has said publicly makes me want to argue. BUT - he has made the film. That is not easy. Reading his interviews has been fascinating because he seems to not really love the original novel, but the ideas of the source material. He's making his own Barsoomian adventure with these characters that isn't hard and fast adhering strictly to the source material... which makes me a little crazy, but at the same time... I am a HUGE fanboy to the world of John Carter.
I've literally been dying to see this movie get made since about a week after I saw EMPIRE STRIKES BACK as a boy. Here are some pics that Disney has released today - leading up to the release of the new trailer, due December 1st, 2011. So soon. I can't wait. The first trailer left me a little flat. Didn't feel like a grand adventure. Didn't seem to soar. Of course, the production probably had very little finished visual effects work to cut from, so there was no reason to go into panic mode, like some did with that first AVENGERS trailer - which was also very early in the VFX process for that film.
So I'll comment upon each here...
So much of a shot like this feels so static as a still. There's no real sense of what's happening, but what I don't like is how ordinary the background feels. That doesn't feel like Mars or Barsoom of my imagination, though the airships do have a Helium style to them. Can't wait to see this in motion.
Here's John and Dejah... Not a huge fan of the clunky nature of her attire, not that she needed to just be in a metal bikini... The red of her skin is making me happier than it looked in the first trailer.
Now here's John and Tars Tarkas. I really must reserve any judgement until I see how Dafoe is playing Tars. He's my favorite character from the books - and Dafoe's Sgt. Elias from PLATOON has some of Tars' soul, but I'm really nervous. I want to love Tars Tarkas. That will be determined not merely in Dafoe's performance, the visual effects team's work on him - but also how John Carter interacts with him, how Sola reacts to him. How he is reflected in Giacchino's score. I do find it odd that Tars seems so damned 2 armed in this shot. I can see the hints of the others - but it is an odd shot.
Here's Sola, Dejah and John on a skiff. This is my favorite shot they've released today. Still not a fan of the blue sky though.
That's WOOLA! That's WOOLA in a total curious passive kinda mode. WOOLA will be your childrens favorite character, and most likely yours as well. WOOLA is a character that MUST be amazing on screen - and the word I've heard from folks working on John Carter - well they tell me WOOLA steals the movie. Now realize - this is WOOLA passive. When that mouth opens, when that tongue comes out... when John rubs her belly... Oh my god. Pure awesome, I know it.
I've heard a lot about this production. They hired many of the same folks that were working on our version of the film. For a very long time, the word on the production was dissatisfied. However, after reshoots - after time in editing, I finally started to hear that people were really starting to like Taylor Kitsch's John Carter - that they found the character and he was awesome. That WOOLA was amazing. That Giacchino's score gave the film the emotional lift it was needing and made Dejah live and love a bit more.
So right now - I'm at the best spot I've been on the film. I'm looking forward to it. No matter what - it'll be a unique film experience for me. But a shot like that last one. It makes me want to watch the film NOW. That's WOOLA - it's a damn fine Woola and I can't wait to hear her noises, to watch how she falls in love with John and becomes the best dog in the universe!
December 1st we all see what we can make of this film. Tick tock... BE GREAT!
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Where's the red?
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Nov 26, 2011 4:41:28 PM CST
John has nice abs, but his pectoral muscles are weak, flabby, and man-boobish. This girly man belongs with Jason Momoa in a pile of rubbish.
by bobo_vision
He is not a real man.
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Nov 26, 2011 4:42:42 PM CST
Woola's popularity is most likely due to the same inherent stupidity that makes cat videos so popular
by bobo_vision
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Fail.
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Nov 26, 2011 4:44:52 PM CST
I'm Sure That The Empty Theater Seats Will Enjoy This Movie...
by jamesonian
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no? ok then...i'll go away
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this next trailer could make or break this movie. I read all the books as a kid back in the 70's, so I'm pumped for a decent version to be made. I've shown the first trailer to all kinds of people and most have shrugged...either not seeing anything fantastic grab them or just not getting what the heck's going on.
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Optimism unwarranted. Shitshow imminent.
I'm not the Warlord of Mars, Mike. I was stepped over!
That's the way Pop wanted it.
It ain't the way I wanted it! I can handle things! I'm smart! Not like everybody says... like dumb... I'm smart and I want respect!
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Any word of them showing some stuff at BNAT?
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http://tinyurl.com/br6rjd9
'I’ve seen almost twenty minutes of the film. Let’s say it was twenty, just to round it off – in that case, about eighteen were really superb. I’d say inherently cinematic, inventive and playful. It was scoring highly with me.
But lots more about that in the coming days.'
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that'll Mars it up for you
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Nov 26, 2011 5:12:09 PM CST
Harry's review of this movie has already been written. It was written on the day this movie was announced. And it will not be a positive review.
by mr_incredible
Because this movie will be not the John Carter movie that's inside Harry's head.
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Red would be so, I don't know...obvious. I dig these shots...there's almost a Mad-Max look to everything
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Nov 26, 2011 5:13:51 PM CST
Because this movie will not be the John Carter movie that's inside Harry's head.
by mr_incredible
Where's the goddamn Edit function when you need it? This isn't 1996 for heaven's sake.
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The quality is still shitty but it's a minor step up from the last shitty one.
http://www.avpgalaxy.net/2011/11/26/exclusive-new-prometheus-trailer-footage/ -
It's not like Stanton stole it. Blame Paramount for going with Star Trek and Iron Man. From what I've see of the Conran version- it would have strayed WAY further from the source material- I thanked god when Favs came in. Stanton was a fan of the Marvel comics of the 70's which didn't follow the books plot to the letter- but combined elements of all of them. chabbon has said that the script pulls elements of the first three books- what he has said makes sense. Like LOTR there are changes that needed to be made to the narrative. Like Tolkien, Burroughs kinda made shit up as he went and some of it just doesn't play on the screen.
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I like the choice; it's most likely to keep some small bit of ambiguity as to whether or not it's all a fantasy in John Carter's head, by using clear parallel's with Earth's environment.
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I would love to know whom you guys hired to do the visualzation of Barsoom. I don't see bits of Rich Corben, Roy Krenkel and even a little Frank Frazetta in these pictures. I mean, the pictures look okay, but unless the house of mouse is holding back the good stuff, I'm kind of underwhelmed
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looks like Zippy The Pinhead.
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Nov 26, 2011 6:01:57 PM CST
Harry, John Carter and Avengers have only released *teasers* thus far, not trailers
by d.vader
Thsts why you only get a glimpse of the story and not many finished effects. They are teasers, not trailers, and you know this. To expect ass-kicking insanity in a teaser is a bit foolhardy, and the geek community will be better served in the future if we continue to make the proper distinctions so they know what to expect and don't fault teasers for not including material one would expect from a trailer.
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We don't be wantin' no common sense round here boy!
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Looks great, Bobo. That apostrophe in IT'S made me chuckle, though...
Direct link, while it lasts: http://youtu.be/3idSf4q2fVI -
I'm approaching JCoM as cold as anyone can come, which means that I was only aware of the covers of those books while i worked my way through the sci-fi section of my library. And guess what? Those stills look just fine. I'll admit, the floating ship in the backround looks like it needs some more rendering, but overall what I'm seeing looks pretty intriguing. I likes.
But not Harry, of course! Harry passive-aggressively writes this article like he's previewing IRS tax codes. The movie isn't a sequel, remake, prequel OR being directed by Ratner, but that isn't enough for the ginger-haired one, is it? Nope, because Harry didnt get to make the film he wanted he is going to be as unenthusiastic a "geek" as he can possibly be.
Why is "geek" in quotations when I'm describing Harry? Because the douche bag has done next to nothing for this site for months (some might say years), save for a few bullshit non reviews of Inception, Planet of the Apes, Muppets, etc. Oh, he loves the fuck out shit like Scott Pilgrim and will endlessly pimp that kinda film to no end on this supposedly "aint it cool" site, but anything that somehow doesnt cause him to relate to his bizarreasallgetout childhood or fails to empower his childish view of life? Forget about it!
Toy Story 3? "How dare that movie tell me its good to grow up and share my pweasents!"
Inception? "Honestly, it put me to sleep! It should have been more like a Terry Gilliam/scott pilgrim sorta thing. Pass!"
Rise of the Planet of the Apes? *cricket* *cricket* *cricket*.
And the list goes on. And I'm not even going to start on the extreme lateness of the news. Promethius trailer leak occurrs and there is NOBODY on this site who is writing about it, or even offering an editorial/insight on said leak. Same for the accuracy concerning the supposed Dark Knight preview desription. I understand this time of year can be something of a slow news period for AICN, but goddamn it, put more effort into what IS leaking or something.
One would suppose that the average number of talkback posts pretty much speaks for itself and yet even now Harry is simply putting less efort into his site. If it werent for Quint, I doubt i would even think to check here more than once or twice a week.
Oh well...
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(aside from parts of the shitty SyFy Channel version)
And I'm digging everything I've seen so far. -
but did you see those bitchin Mars covers in your library or book store? I'll admit that I side with Harry in the lament of the red-skinned girl's excess of wardrobe.
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Nov 26, 2011 6:27:30 PM CST
Harry, they hired your production's people, but they didn't bring you on board? Hollywood is a bunch of a'holes.
by seansarto
I pray you have some vengence upon them.
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He's not Dutch in Predator, he's just a normal dude like John McClane. Cut the guy some slack.
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But sadly, I doubt we'd ever get a hard R John Carter with a big budget that would allow such copious amount of boobage.
And also, I agree with your assessment of Harry and his future review. Same goes for Mr Incredible's. -
Nov 26, 2011 6:42:39 PM CST
I just googled John Carter of Mars (film) to get the skinny
by moondoggy2u
Apparently, this film was originally going to be a paramount film Robert Rodruigez directing it and Harry getting production credit.
Now its a Disney film directed/partially written Andrew Stanton, who wrote and directed Wall*e and Finding Nemo. He also helped write the Toy story films. And according to Staton, he read the novels as a kid and was very familiar with them. So yeah, I will definitely get behind THIS film over some supposed film by Rodruigez and Knowels.
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And for god's sake, an editing button, if you please.
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That movie is a science fiction masterpiece.
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Robert Rodriguez was the first director, then for a brief time it was Guillermo Del Toro, then for a year and a half creating sheer awesome was Kerry Conran, than another year plus with Jon Favreau... where we finally broke the script & got a hair away from production.
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And what's Kerry Conran up to now?
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Why the hell were there so many directors attached to the film? Is it really that difficult of a source material? From what it looks like to my totally layman's eye is a sort of Conan the Barbarian meets Star Wars. Pretty cool idea, but it doesnt sound that difficult in light of today's effects capabilities.
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Holy fuck,that trailer is awesome,i love the fact! :) they used the original A L I E N trailer score/noise,also seeing the derelict in flight!
The tone kinda says an R as well,here's hoping,my nerd radar just went crazy........ -
The screaming and words fading in bit at a time made me weep in joy. I hate that these pictures are so damn late. It annoys me. You may have things to do, Harz, but goddamn it all, don't fall SO behind.
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Any other sites on the net that are recommended over Ain't It Cool? Tired of Harry and his horrible reviews...I don't even waste my time reading them (who ever got through his review of Hugo has my respect).
John Carter...will prob have to see some more before I go commit to it but I think it will be 2012's Prince of Persia which I didn't and haven't seen and most others didn't either. -
How Scott convinced the money men to keep the Aliens barely involved is a miracle but it looks top class.
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Mother of God thats a goddamn good trailer. Yeesh, now I'm almost as excited for Prometheus as I am for Nolan's final Batty film. Very, VERY damned good trailer.
And I dont care what anybody says, I think Ridley Scott is an even better film maker now than ever before. Call me crazy but I think this thing COULD be even better than Alien. I'm not getting my hopes up or anything by thinking Promethetheus is a slam dunk guarantee. Hell, a dozen different things could go wrong.
But I do think its possible. -
Just joking. :P
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Nov 26, 2011 7:29:16 PM CST
You know what would be an amazing backstory to Alien (ie. the prequel story)
by bobo_vision
If the Aliens were actually originally created by humans as a form of biological warfare. They genetically created the cells which become the Aliens, but shot them out in frozen canisters to planets they wanted to colonize so that these aliens would grow, wipe out the predominant species of the planet while the ecosystem remains intact (which would not be the case if they nuked it), and then they hoped the aliens would die off without a species to feed on since it is parasitic.
BUT, it turns out these aliens can hibernate in their pods until a lifeform arrives for it to use as a host.
So the humans who are sent on this mission are scouting this dead planet, but the Earth governments have not told them all these covert alien operations. Only the android (Fassbender) knows. The governments wants to know if all the lifeforms (the space jockeys) are wiped out, but when the crew arrives they find that they have to fight off the Aliens which they later learn were created by humans.
They along with the remaining few Space Jockeys team up to fight this scurge of parasites. -
...in the later movies, the reason the government wants to collect samples of the aliens is because they want to study their creations, because they never let them grown while on earth out of fear they may become an epidemic. They only create the stem cells which were to become the aliens...not knowing these creations would be able to hibernate. So humans want to learn how to change their genetic makeup so that in the future, when they sent out such biological warfare, the hibernation abilities won't be there when they colonize other planets.
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FUCK THIS SHIT !!!
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Nov 26, 2011 7:35:24 PM CST
=If the Aliens were actually originally created by humans as a form of biological warfare. =
by killik
Like what Lucas did with C3PO.He was made by Darth Vader.sigh.
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You lost me at "Team up"
*pukes* -
let's see who is the first one to take the bait.10,9,8,7,6,...
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Um....no...nothing like that at all. The only reason Lucas did that was so that C3P0 could be in those films to tie the prequels to the sequels.
I'm saying, having a plotline that gives the prequel some depth....so that it's not just a bug hunt. -
I was iffy about that part, too. When they get there....the Space Jockeys are all dead except for a few impregnated ones. Then the shit gets going.
Ah? -
The rest has merit,but the team up part reminds me of AVP,and that is never a good thing
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Nov 26, 2011 7:46:22 PM CST
@bobo_vision sorry,no matter what Lucas's motivation for that decision was,
by killik
it eventually lead to one fact only: It shrank the SW universe.
The same thing applies with your suggestion to make the Aliens as genetically engineered bio-weapons by humans.It shrinks the cinematic universe and it destroys the mythology and iconic status of those creatures.No cosmic horror,no representation of something truly alien to the human understanding and awareness,etc. -
Nov 26, 2011 7:47:42 PM CST
I;m hoping we get to see the creature that bursts from a Jocky
by lookylookymoontard
Ridley said in a interview that Giger is working on a certain part of the film,i'd love to see what he comes up with for that design,although a Xeno taking on its host's form only came into play in A3,i wonder if Ridley would stay with that idea?
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i wonder how the native-americans will react to this central idea of the film.not to mention the reaction of the film critics.
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Though not nearly as much as in this movie.
I trust the director but this has a Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time vibe to it. Not expecting a masterpiece. -
And the script didn't "break" under him? What was the project doing for a year and a half?
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And she should be half nekkid spineless conservative movie studios.
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According to wikipedia, Burroughs imagined the world of mars to look a lot like arizona. And given the fact that the hero is a civil war soldier his princess is a native redskin....yeah, i can definitely see some problems with this film/story already. And hell, this is Burroughs we're talking about, so its obviously going to be a "white man outfights/tames the natives" story. I smell contraversey a'brewin.
Also, this opens up another can of worms; we're talking about a western/sci-fi mashup, arent we? And we all know how well those do. I hope to God they play this story up more as a conan meets Star Wars flick...
And finally, that Mars sky...I think in the books one assumes its supposed to be blue; they are obviously breathing in an oxygen environment. The frazetta covers depict a red sky, however. Maybe thats why Harry thinks its supposed to be red? -
This looks like a cheap knockoff of Richard Donner's "Danger Island" from the Banana Splits Comedy hour.
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Nov 26, 2011 8:04:11 PM CST
I also smell controversy....yeesh, i need me an edit button
by moondoggy2u
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Nov 26, 2011 8:10:37 PM CST
The statue with the human face that we've seen in the Prometheus photos....
by bobo_vision
....was likely made by Space Jockeys.
The Greek myth of Prometheus goes that Prometheus gave man fire, as well as writing, mathematics, agriculture, and science. So he gave them civilization. Zeus punishes Prometheus by having him bound to a rock, and every night an eagle eats his liver, but his liver regenerates because he is immortal.
Zeus retaliates against Prometheus's gift by sending Pandora and her gift. This gift is evil harsh pain which gives men disease and hardships, and it comes out of her box...or jar. This represents the Aliens.
The question is.....are we Prometheus...are the Space Jockeys Prometheus....or are the androids Prometheus. We shall see. -
Nov 26, 2011 8:14:13 PM CST
Oh...darth kong had the biowarfare idea in the other Prometheus talkback
by bobo_vision
Just read it. Gotta give props. darth...get your crazy ass over here and let's discuss this shit.
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I agree about Christina Hendricks, or some other shapely woman should've played her. If this is a hit, will we get a new Gor movie? I nominate Dancer of Gor!
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Nov 26, 2011 8:41:17 PM CST
Hendricks couldnt play Thoris.Otherwise Disney would have been forced to
by killik
digitally shrink her melons because after all this movie is for kids.And that process is not cheap.So they did the wise thing to hir a more "subtle" actress.
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GEORGE LUCAS's Jar Jar?
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There's a software plugin that can make a skinny guy look more muscular- forgot the name, sorry- but they could've used that on the actor. I've seen video samples and it really looks convincing. Other than that, I would have wanted Dejah Thoris to be played by a girl with a very curvy, Frazetta Girl/Porn Starlet body. Check out Dynamite comic books Dejah Thoris series released this year. I also like Adam Hughes take on Dejah. I wanted the actress to look like Sofia Vergara/Dana Hamm in her 20's. And Disney should've released it as a Touchstone Pictures PG-13 film, so we can have Dejah half naked. Other than that, the teaser music was a bit somber, but I like what I see with FX so far.
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Nov 26, 2011 11:46:36 PM CST
"After spending the better part of a 6 years of my life to working on an adaptation, that came perilously close to filming on many ocassions..." Right, fuck you lardass.
by madeyemongo
Your "adaptation" wasn't going anywhere, why don't you just admit it??
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Nov 27, 2011 12:02:19 AM CST
Disney, the same company that made Lindsay Lohan cover her melons for that Herbie movie
by d.vader
NO WAY they'd allow Christina Hendricks anywhere near the set.
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Nov 27, 2011 12:02:44 AM CST
Course, that was when Lindsay Lohan's melons were still worth something
by d.vader
Hef, you just wasted a lot of money.
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Nov 27, 2011 12:09:15 AM CST
I have a friend who is working on the post production of this movie
by d o o d
He works at Double Negative in London. He tells me that the main actor in the movie who plays John carter is terrible!
Make of that what you will! -
Nov 27, 2011 12:13:43 AM CST
So it appears it is time for another "Does She Swallow Sunday"
by lv_426
On this Sunday, in the Lord's Year of two-thousandth-eleventh... on the Sunday that is the twenty-seventh of November... we shall asketh of the talkback... doth she swallow?
Keira Knightley.
Who has most recently appeared in the Cronenberg film that no theater near me seems to be showing. A Dangerous Method.
Yea or nay? -
Nov 27, 2011 12:22:29 AM CST
Fletch Gannon and Moondoggy2u: Go to Den Of Geek for a far more professional and readable site, that actually gets updated frequently, with decent and well edited content.
by madeyemongo
I come here occasionally for laughs, but never anything serious about upcoming movies--mostly because there is rarely anything serious here about upcoming movies.
The talkbacks are hilarious, and Knowles the Giant Ego, with his absurd reviews is fun to mock. But I really don't like coming here and giving him clicks.
Den Of Geek is a *much* better alternative.
Out. -
As for everything else...hmmm...hopefully the next trailer does a better sell for JOHN CARTER.
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John Carter has quickly become my flashpoint to getting seriously pissed off at AICN as an entity, even supplanting Quint as my least favorite thing about this business. Shut up, Harry. Shut your fucking cake hole no matter how badly you want to comment on this picture. You simply don't have the right to do so. It's an unwritten rule, of course, so do whatever you want, but I'd bet even money that you'll never get anything produced if you don't learn to keep your yap shut. Especially about John Carter. Personally, I think this looks awesome. The constant bitching about the terrain looking like New Mexico. THAT'S WHAT MARS WOULD FUCKING LOOK LIKE IF IT HAD AN ATMOSPHERE YOU FUCKING ILLITERATE, TERMINALLY SLOW, DOUCHE BAGS!!! I'm not going to get into this tonight, because I've said enough about John Carter, but I will say that I'll take Andrew Stanton directing traffic let alone John Carter over Kerry Conran any day of the week.
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Nov 27, 2011 1:52:02 AM CST
"After spending the better part of a 6 years of my life to working on an adaptation"
by flynn-lives
Harry, I know for a fact that you haven't, as I know quite well the people associated with the earlier Princess of Mars, and your contribution was minimal. Nevertheless, you probably earned your "producer" credit, but please don't make it look like you were full time adapting the book, because you were not..a bit of humbleness goes a long way.
Now for the Stanton's version, don't suddenly become a John Carter frustrated expert, and you of all movie buffs should understand that a Favreau or other filmaker's take on it can't be the Disney's version, were probably all creatures and characters have to be polished to match their target audience.
Obviously, lots of us would have liked to see a slightly tougher, bloodier, Conan vs Lord of the Rings like heroic-fantasy version, and of a less Prince of Persia vs Chronicles of Narnia version, but the kids will probably dig it, and we may very well too...so Harry, let's keep an open-mind... -
FACT.
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Nov 27, 2011 2:03:05 AM CST
Wooda or whatever the fuck = Howard the Duck
by winona_ryders_pussy_juice
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People need to accept that this movie will be a major dud. There is not a single positive thing to be said about it right now. The biggest problem is the source material and the whole Barsoom "universe." I overall have nothing against the stories, and have read most of them (I think I have read all the actual John Carters, but haven't read A Fighting Man Of Mars or The Chessmen Of Mars), but they are basically average at best and completely unadaptable.
Don't get too excited about this, folks.
(Oh, and just in case someone wants to try to think I'm saying this as some sort of support for Harrys attempt, that is definitely not the case. His would have been a disaster too.) -
Flynn-Lives said:
"please don't make it look like you were full time adapting the book" in response to Harry saying "After spending the better part of a 6 years of my life to working on an adaptation."
Not that it matters, but I didn't read the initial comment the same way as you did, I guess. I didn't take it as being Harry saying "I spent 6 years working my ass off for this project" or anything like that. I read it as "Over a span of 6 years, I was involved in it on some level."
Small difference, and as I said, it doesn't matter, but figured I would say it anyway. -
does she take it in the ass? i wanna know.
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Fact!
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Nov 27, 2011 4:38:08 AM CST
f the Aliens were actually originally created by humans as a form of biological warfare.
by misterdarcy
Yeah, that would awesome.
No, wait, that would be shit. -
His draft of Spider-Man 2 really was a beautiful read. Anything ever happen with the adaptation of The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay that was supposed to be in development? Has that even got a director these days? Would make for a luminous period serial on HBO, where I think he has a deal for something else. Ask because in an interview he said he'd finished his next book and was doing film and television work for a while until the next one.
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...as a big Burroughs fan during my youth, this is a project I have long had my eyes on. I remember back in the early 90s when this was going to be made by Disney and possibly star Tom Hanks or Tom Cruise and be directed by John McTiernan. Then that all collapsed. Years later I saw the Syd Mead drawings and designs for that movie's version of the Helium airships and I was a little sad that never saw light of day. I think William Stout was also a designer on that project. There were some leaks with that old script in which I recall John Carter has the quip, "I don't trust you any further than a spider can piss."
Then came the heavy rotation of directors under the Paramount years. I've seen some of the pre-production for those movies, and I'm kind of glad those never happened.
Now there's this. I have enjoyed each of Stanton's Pixar films immensely, so I have some hope for this. I can see it not working, though, as this was a popular book series 80 years ago, and aside from an homage-name in "ER", John Carter is not at the forefront of everyone's cultural radar. I imagine this is what it would be like if someone in the year 2100 made a "Game of Thrones" movie. (I am not saying the writings of ERB and Martin are comparable; I'm just saying they're both popular fantastical-fiction book series.)
And I can understand people's frustration with the look this movie is projecting. I love the look of the airships, like combinations of dragonflies and WWII airplanes. I read the books from several different publishing houses, so I always had the images by J. Allen St. John, Frazetta, Kerenkel, and Michael Whelan knocking around in my brain, merging and playing off of each other. And, being an artist myself, I did my own drawings, too, that kind of combined all those talents and visions. So, you get a picture in your head, and when that same picture isn't someone else's you can get frustrated.
But I think pretty early on Stanton said that he was not aiming for Frank Frazetta when he got on board this production. So, I was never expecting that. Tars Tarkas looks skinnier than I always imagined (my favorite Tars Tarkas was one Al Williamson drew) but I can go with it. I've seen skinny tharks before. Woola in my head was always more frog/crocodile than toad/pug, but it's okay. Honestly, people can have their own interpretations. And I don't even mind blue skies and Arizona, as long as it's visually interesting. Blue skies would make sense with the atmosphere factories pumping out breathable air for everyone. (And, honestly, in reality, Mars' sky is not red. It's pink.)
In fact, I have just one complaint: Carter's hair is too long.
And now I've talked too much. -
you must be fucking kidding me.
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Anyone know what Conran is up to these days? I'm sure I'm in the minority here but I thought Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow was absolutely remarkable. The guy seemed to show a ton of promise... and then nothing.
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The trailer didn't make it look any better either.
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Nov 27, 2011 9:18:33 AM CST
Ambiguity as to whether or not it's all a fantasy in John Carter's head
by the bicycle sharer
Of course, the fact that he never ages and that his body spends ten years trapped/paralyzed in an Arizona cave without food or water or that he later builds a tomb that opens from the inside or that he even later appears in astral projections to relate his adventures to The Narrator (actually ambiguous as to whether or not this is ERB or not) may clear up some of that ambiguity. ;-)
The actual thing that I always found curious and interesting, but something that was never explored or discussed in the books was the correlation between the Red Men of Mars and the actual red men of Earth (Indians/Native-Americans) from whom JC is fleeing when he winds up in that cave and subsequently on Mars.
Always thought it might be fun to have JC or one of the Burroughs heroes discover that the red men of Earth were actually Martian colonists.
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I don't think that the sky was ever described in the books.
But the ground was. And it was read with some soft, ochre, spongy moss-like growth that made for soft landings when JC leapt somewhere.
Not brown/New Mexico-like. Red. Red with bits of yellow. -
http://www.webexhibits.org/causesofcolor/14C.html
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Can we all just agree to thank the Gods of Mars that Rodriguez didn't get hold of this one? The idea of that plastic-faced monstrosity that he's banging in the role of Dejah Thoris makes me puke.
Or imagine the FX of Spy Kids 4 on this.
No fucking thanks. -
Nov 27, 2011 9:34:32 AM CST
You can't walk on Mars because the gravity is only about 35% of ours, there's no air and the radiation will kill you and boil your blood in less than a minute. Shoulda picked 'John Carter of Earth' as the title. If it's set on Mars the movie's about 1 min
by drstrangerlove
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Nov 27, 2011 9:38:06 AM CST
I thought Woola was supposed to be like a 6-legged lion-thing, not a slug with little elephant feet
by has_snyder_been_fired_from_superman_yet
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Nov 27, 2011 9:43:29 AM CST
drstrangerlove, they walked on the moon and the gravity's only 1/6 of Earth
by has_snyder_been_fired_from_superman_yet
...agree about the radiation, very low level of oxygen (there is air, just not much oxygen), and extremely low air pressue. Much "A Princess of Mars" (I refure to call it "John Carter"!) is fantasy. Christ, did you boycott the LOTR trilogy because of the lack of proof of its events in the archeological record?
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Nov 27, 2011 9:46:06 AM CST
Sky Captain tanked and lost tons of money for the suits...
by has_snyder_been_fired_from_superman_yet
...so Conran's now on a list somewhere. Hope he has other career options.
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Nov 27, 2011 9:49:26 AM CST
Guess I'm a purists, but as far as I'm concerned Martian princesses should be nude!
by has_snyder_been_fired_from_superman_yet
Maybe a belly chain and bracelets and a diaphanous veil, but THAT'S IT! But of course... this is Disney, dammit.
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When I was reading the Barsoom series and ran across a word George Lucas had ripped off.
Jed. Sith. Banth.
Like he thought adding a vowel would make the theft less obvious.
"Hmmm Banth... Banth... BANTHA!"
"Jed-O? No... Jedu... JEDI!"
Sssssssssssooooooooo.... Seeeeeee... Saaaaaa... Fuck it Sith it is."
...
"What the Fu- MARCIA!! Wheres my Goddamn gravy?!! I can't CREATE WITHOUT MY GRAVY!!!"
"Coming George..."
"Fucking bitch... Where was I?"
"Tars Tarkas.... Tars... Tar... Tar Tar...." -
or put on a shirt. Your man-boobs are ugly as hell - I'm still traumatized from the Conan remake.
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Nov 27, 2011 9:55:58 AM CST
You know, they could have a prologue where the current conditions of Mars are explained...
by has_snyder_been_fired_from_superman_yet
...and there's a Mars mission wherein astronauts find the remains of a Barsoomian city or a Thark skull or something buried in the sand then we transition to John Carter out in the Old West. Kind of like how The First Men In the Moon updated Wells' story with a prologue of a modern day moon mission. But then, this is Disney, dammit and they probably won't even mention the word, "Mars" or the name "Edgar Rice Burroughs".
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would look like a Frank Frazetta painting come to life
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just add some sweet filters and it be perfect. Perhaps I could adjust the tint on my television when I watch it at home.
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Several folks want Dejah Thoris naked...but then JC would also need to be naked, and someone would have to explain why an oviparous woman would need breasts.
I don't mind the tall, thin Tharks, but I do think the eyes front design makes them a lot less ordinary. If Stanton could get emotion from Wall-E and Eve, then I think he could have managed with the Tharks without superimposing the actor's eyes over the design.
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Nov 27, 2011 10:53:33 AM CST
I'm not blown away by the Alien prequel because I've spent the better part of 6 years of my life working on my own version.
by mr.stiggs
When I say "working on" I mean that I've drunkenly scribbled sketches on cocktail napkins and talked about how cool it would be to make a prequel to Alien.
Just being a dick,
Mr.Stiggs -
Nov 27, 2011 10:56:52 AM CST
they really shouldn't cast this pretty boy as John Carter
by chien_sale
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and I can't put 'em down. Holy God, I wasn't expecting to dig them as much as I am. And I agree with most of what Harry's said about this one. Nevertheless, I'm looking forward to this film.
Mentioning Dafoe's Elias is apt to how I picture Tars. The Woola design is straight out of the book. I still think Josh Brolin should be Carter, but for that other Civil War vet he played...
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to integrate Carlos Castaneda's mysticism and Frank Frazetta's paintings; this movie could have been an ode to what was best in the 1970s. Picture this: John Carter hiding in a cave comes upon Don Juan and Don Genaro, who offer him a way out of his predicament, by allowing him to cross into another world, which just happens to be Mars, one billion years ago. Then you could have had a manned Mars expedition finding a Thark skull, and Carter's family coughing up his memoirs.
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And pitch reel at barsoomia.org are pretty sweet.
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Nov 27, 2011 11:41:20 AM CST
Won't even mention the name Edgar Rice Burroughs?
by the bicycle sharer
They clearly say, "Mr. Burroughs, I'm afraid I bring sad tidings," at the first of the teaser trailer.
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Nov 27, 2011 11:49:38 AM CST
Harry's next project should be called: "The Sour Grapes of Wrath"
by ingeld
Harry could gush over the FBI copyright warning; here the petty criticism and luke warm comment or two at best has a bitter tone. Whether this is fair or not is hard to tell; since he had so much in stake in his original project, it is impossible not read a bias in any of his reviews of this project. He probably should let others here talk about it.
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Didn't you see the ending of Total Recall?
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Someone at Paramount UK told me that Knowles' input into the original project was woefully embaressing and a source of entertainment within the movie industry at the time (apparently there were a whole bunch of Knowles jokes kicking about). My source also said that part of the reason that so many directors left the project was because of Knowles acting like an 11 year old.
I have no idea if this is true or not but I have to admit I find it extremely hard to see someone who comes across as educationally sub-normal as Harry Knowles would actually have been able to do anything that a real producer does apart from possibly approve the merchandise range.
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I've read the ERB books at least twice as well as the Tarzan books.
Virtually all of them are in the public domain as ebooks.
Somehow, nothing I have seen or heard to date makes me want to get in line for this movie.
Actually have a Starship Troopers and I, Robot feel about this; good idea and terrible, no-concept-of-source execution.
Hope I am wrong, but doesn't feel that way.
BTW, saw The Descendants last night...highly recommended...and saw the trailer for One For The Money, the first Stephanie Plum novel from Janet Evanovich. This looks to be pretty good and feels like a good adaptation.
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But I'll reserve real judgement until I see more.
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Nov 27, 2011 2:42:29 PM CST
they spent 300 million dollars on this and they can't make the red martians fucking red, epic fail...
by maxcherry
the cgi in this looks as bad as the season of the witch and that was shot for only 40 million
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seriously thats where they shot the mars scenes. The same setting as a lot of John Ford's westerns and Once upon a Time in the West. Is that what anybody pictured reading these books? Hell no...
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Nov 27, 2011 2:55:21 PM CST
@smittylancearthur: thanks a bunch for that link to the Kerry Conran concept reel.
by justmyluck
That reel is better in every way from what I've seen so far from Disney (even the stunt guy playing Carter on the green screen stage), though the reality now is that James Cameron has beaten them to it, is the fantasy world-building measuring stick, etc.
Actually, could the 'meh' effect of the Disney/Stanton trailer be emanating from an attempt to tip-toe around the unavoidable comparisons to AVATAR? -
Nov 27, 2011 2:57:17 PM CST
Taylor Kitch looks like all he worked out on was his biceps and abs, his chest looks as flat as a 10 year old boy's chest, and he has no shoulder muscles
by maxcherry
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Don't forget Harry's awesome Drive review which he wrote after watching a pirated version of the film and then promptly pulled when people called him on it!
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That looks awesome.
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Since Harry pretended to have personally known Steve Jobs and wrote his eulogy with the most self-absorbed fantasy and a story that he NEVER made reference to during Job's life, including his early association with Pixar, I, (and obviously many on the above thread) tend to read his producer reference as the usual, exaggerated ego-inflated bullshit, which it exactly is.
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Nov 27, 2011 4:01:12 PM CST
Angela Badalamenti is doing the score for this movie, thats a great pick in my opinion
by maxcherry
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Nov 27, 2011 4:06:26 PM CST
Don't worry, I'm sure this will still be WAY better than the Muppets for Harry...
by mordock57
Y'know, as long as he doesn't go to the theater feeling sick or anything.
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Like Jar Jar Binks stole The Phantom Menace.
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Nov 27, 2011 4:34:07 PM CST
canned_dirty_ape, Harry would be an excellent consultant...
by sierratangofoxtrotuniform
...on how to properly bribe movie review websites as well as some good ideas on catering.
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Unless you have actually *seen* the SyFy Channel flick version of this starring Antonio Sabato Jr as John Carter.
Then we can talk. -
Riggins is is going to present it
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It looks like a western directed by George Lucas. I suppose the effects are slightly sub-par compared to ILM. At least the creature designs. But then again, ... Jar Jar. O.K. so we're on even footing.
I'm looking forward to this film and Battleship, what are the odds of the 2 biggest flops in modern history to happen in the same year? -
We finally get a JOHN CARTER movie after all those years of development hell.
Please. Don't. Suck. -
Thanks! There some minor spoilers about Brian Cranston's part though...
http://tinyurl.com/6uee4tf
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Nov 28, 2011 6:38:12 AM CST
Nope - still not excited about this...Prometheus on the other hand...
by marineboy
LOOKS F*CKING AMAAAAAAZING!!! :) lol
er..FACT -
maybe there's some truth after all about the gay mafia in Holyhood.
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Nov 28, 2011 9:09:29 AM CST
So an overgrown potato that's sprouted legs steals the movie?
by openthepodbaydoorshal
That doesn't bode well. Does that mean we can expect a load of reaction shots to the creature doing cute dog-like reactions? Again, doesn't sound good.
And yes, I get absolutely no sense of any of the "outside" action taking place on a distant planet. Even the Mars probe photos show distinct colors. -
How everyone on geek sites pretends to be a fitness expert--yeah, not likely. Even the fittest man in the world can look "flabby" from certain angles--or on the wrong day. Nothing wrong with his musculature. The hair pisses me off, though. He looks a lot more like the character now in real life since he's finally gotten a haircut.
Stanton is a visionary and I have high hopes for this. I'm ecstatic that some of my favorite books are finally being adapted. As a kid reading the novels in the eighties I never would've dreamed this to be possible. -
Nov 28, 2011 10:23:16 AM CST
I think PROMETHEUS tells the story of the cre who left the beacon that warned against going to the planet
by asimovlives
And for some reason, the beacon emited a signal that was scrambled in such a way that it didn't looked human in origin.
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Most of you tubby bitches break into a sweat while you eat!
Get off the High horse, please. -
...that would have been so much more at home as an HBO series...
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Nov 28, 2011 3:10:13 PM CST
That "John Carter" wanna-be just looks so mediocre, sigh. Horrible casting, poor actor.
by theczech
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Jeez Harry, for someone who spent six years developing a movie, one might think you'd know Woola was a HIM and not a HER. Sheesh.
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http://tinyurl.com/7dxnt8x
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Nov 28, 2011 4:41:07 PM CST
Are they going to have semi british accents like Prince of Persia?
by yeahiluvcheezypoofs
For some reason?
It looks like a movie about hippies in Death Valley with some monsters. The books were alive with atmosphere.
This looks like Disney BS. Toys available a month before release.
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...you'd know all about man-boobs.
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Nov 28, 2011 5:17:48 PM CST
This one smells like a Prince of Persia/Tron Legacy failure.
by orbots commander
As in, the studio hopes to build a franchise off of this flick, but the lackluster returns will likely have it lining Wal-Mart bargain bins instead.
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If you mean a flop box-office wise, not even close.
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It certainly sounds like Harry helped ignite the spark which led to this current film. Too bad a lot of issues got in the way of creating a version you could put your name on.
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"Her" belly? "HER" belly, Harry?
You should be ashamed of yourself. You, who claim to be one of the biggest Burroughs fans (especially of the Barsoom tales), should know, of ALL people, that Woola is MALE.
Ya know, it may seem trivial, but really...for someone who claims to be such a fan...inexcusable. -
Stanton was in London last month to show 20 minutes of John Carter footage to press there, and he took the time to explain his title mutilation. He started with why he eliminated the original title of Burroughs' first Martian novel, A Princess of Mars:
"Here's the real truth of it. I'd already changed it from A Princess Of Mars to John Carter Of Mars. I don't like to get fixated on it, but I changed Princess Of Mars ... because not a single boy would go."
So then we're left with a flick called John Carter of Mars, which is still a satisfyingly sci-fi title, right? It's got the word Mars in it, at least. But then Stanton made another call:
"And then the other truth is, no girl would go to see John Carter Of Mars. So I said, 'I don't won't to do anything out of fear, I hate doing things out of fear, but I can't ignore that truth.'"
Yes, these sound like cynical, marketing-based reasons for changing the flick's name around. It sounds like something a Disney branding executive would do, not the guy who directed Wall-E and Finding Nemo. But Stanton's not done, and before you get ready to go after him with torches and pitchforks, rest assured he has a real, story-based reason for the change:
"All the time we were making this big character story which just so happens to be in this big, spectacular new environment. But it's not about the spectacle, it's about the investment. I thought, I've really worked hard to make all of this an origin story. It's about a guy becoming John Carter. So I'm not misrepresenting what this movie is, it's John Carter.
"Mars is going to stick on any other film in the series. But by then, it won't have a stigma to it."
And just like that, we've got a real answer for the title change and the hope of a sequel before we've even seen the flick. We'll have to wait until John Carter is released in March to see if Stanton's "origin story" explanation really plays out on screen, but in the meantime we'll give him a little credit. The guy made Wall-E, a flick that stars arguably the most adorable robot ever. That has to count for something.
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