
“I’ve tried really hard to capture what I thought was universal and timeless about this book that is above and beyond the genre itself.” – Andrew Stanton
After hearing director Andrew Stanton (WALL·E, Finding Nemo) talk passionately for almost an hour about his first live-action movie, John Carter, in San Francisco last week, I’m convinced he’s the right person to finally bring Edgar Rice Burroughs celebrated novel to the big screen. Not only is he a lifelong fan of the material, but his behind the scenes team is packed wall-to-wall with lifelong Burroughs fans. In addition, while some filmmakers might cling to the source material and treat it like a Bible that they refuse to diverge from, Stanton is smart enough to know that some things that read great on the page won’t translate to the screen, though that doesn’t mean a Thark won’t still be a 9 to 10-foot tall green alien with 4 arms and tusks.
But let me back up a second.
With Disney releasing the first teaser trailer for John Carter later this week (it’ll be on Harry Potter and also online), today marks the very beginning of the Studio’s campaign to promote the movie. To help make that happen, they invited a few online reporters to Northern California to watch some footage, the teaser trailer, and also speak with producer Jim Morris and director Andrew Stanton. If you’ve been looking forward to John Carter, or you’re just a fan of Stanton and curious about his next movie, hit the jump for 20 things to know about the movie and an awesome interview (both audio and transcript) with the great director.

With production underway on director Andrew Stanton’s John Carter of Mars in London, Walt Disney has released the synopsis for the movie and also started a Facebook fan page for the film. Here’s what they sent over:
From Academy Award-winning filmmaker Andrew Stanton (“Finding Nemo,” “WALL-E”), JOHN CARTER OF MARS brings this captivating hero to the big screen in a stunning adventure epic set on the wounded planet of Mars, a world inhabited by warrior tribes and exotic desert beings. Based on the first of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ “Barsoom Series,” the film chronicles the journey of Civil-War veteran John Carter (TAYLOR KITSCH), who finds himself battling a new and mysterious war amidst a host of strange Martian inhabitants, including Tars Tarkas (WILLEM DAFOE) and Dejah Thoris (LYNN COLLINS).
As you might imagine, this is a huge film for us at Collider, so expect plenty of updates. Hit the jump to read the rest of what Disney sent over:

While we knew back in June that Thomas Haden Church was joining the cast of Andrew Stanton’s “John Carter of Mars” although Church didn’t reveal what role he’d be playing. Today, we not only have confirmation that Church is in the flick, but we now know the role. We also know that he’ll be joined by James Purefoy and Mark Strong. Hit the jump for details.
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