John Carter

Collider Visits the Set of JOHN CARTER

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: February 9th, 2012 at 9:07 am

“Barsoom” reads a sign on the outskirts of the movie set we’re about to visit.  “Barsoom” is what Martians call their planet in Edgar Rice Burroughs‘ A Princess of Mars.  A group of my fellow online movie journalists and I are headed to the set of Andrew Stanton‘s adaptation of the classic sci-fi novel, John Carter.  Mars may technically be in Big Water, Utah, but today we’ll be walking the ruins of an ancient Martian city, meeting a princess who bleeds blue, and a nine-foot-tall nomad tribe of warriors.  Hit the jump to take a trip to the red planet and find out about my visit to the set of John Carter.

Taylor Kitsch JOHN CARTER Set Visit Interview

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: February 9th, 2012 at 9:06 am

If you ever watched TV’s Friday Night Lights, then you’re probably already a Taylor Kitsch fan.  You know he’s got the charm and acting chops to carry a film, and he’s carrying two blockbusters this year.  First up is Andrew Stanton‘s John Carter, based on Edgar Rice Burroughs‘ novel A Princess of Mars.  Kitsch plays John Carter, a Civil War veteran who finds him transported to the surface of Mars and thrown into a new civil war, but this it’s between nine-foot-tall green aliens and princesses who literally bleed blue.  While on the film’s set, we talked to Kitsch about finding the balance between everyman and action hero, being the audience surrogate, working with director and co-writer Stanton, acting in physical environment as opposed to a green-screen soundstage, and more.

Hit the jump to check out the interview.  John Carter opens March 9th.

Director and Co-Writer Andrew Stanton JOHN CARTER Set Visit Interview

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: February 9th, 2012 at 9:06 am

Making the move from directing animation to live-action was the big question facing Andrew Stanton when I visited the set of John Carter in April 2010.  Stanton had already delivered two amazing Pixar movies with Finding Nemo and WALL-E, but he headed to Mars with John Carter and Mars was a mix of live-action and CG.  Stanton was refreshingly honest about the transition and how the two mediums compare.  He also talked about his frustrations with the live-action process, how the film isn’t in post-production but “Principal Digital Photography”, the process of adapting the book, trying to flesh out the main characters, where they’re at with the planned sequels, and more.

Hit the jump to check out the interview.  John Carter opens in 3D on March 9th.

Willem Dafoe and Thomas Haden Church JOHN CARTER Set Visit Intervew

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: February 9th, 2012 at 9:06 am

Tharks, the green-skinned, six-limbed creatures living on Mars in John Carter are about nine feet tall.  Great actors though they are, Willem Dafoe and Thomas Haden Church, are not nine feet tall.  Even though they’re wearing the standard motion-capture grey leotards and tracking dots, there’s no accounting for height…unless you add stilts.  Watching Dafoe and Church march around on stilts is one of the high-lights of any set visit I’ve gone to.

With a sandstorm whipping into our faces and into our microphones, my fellow movie journalists and I spoke to Dafoe and Church on the set of John Carter.  In addition to talking about the stilts, we spoke about the scene they were currently filming, their characters, how doing motion-capture on set helped their performances, and more.  Hit the jump to check out the interview.  John Carter opens in 3D on March 9th.

Lynn Collins JOHN CARTER Set Visit Interview

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: February 9th, 2012 at 9:05 am

Andrew Stanton‘s John Carter is based off the novel A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs.  Lynn Collins plays the novel’s eponymous princess, Dejah Thoris.  But rather than a damsel in distress waiting for the Earthman John Carter (Taylor Kitsch) to come to her rescue, she can hold her own and kick some ass. When I went to the set of John Carter with some of my fellow movie bloggers, Collins spoke to us about her martial arts training, Dejah’s fighting style training, the three hours it takes to cover her body in intricate tattoos, what the tattoos mean, and more.  “John Carter” may be the title of the movie, but don’t be surprised if we’re paying just as much attention to the Princess of Mars.

Hit the jump to check out the interview.  John Carter opens in 3D on March 9th.

Samantha Morton JOHN CARTER Set Visit Interview

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: February 9th, 2012 at 9:05 am

Like most of her John Carter co-stars, Oscar-nominee Samantha Morton (In America) has been in blockbuster films, but she’s never had to do motion capture up until this movie.  Also, since she plays a Thark, she also never had to walk on stilts until John Carter.  Morton plays Sola, a pariah of the war-loving Thark society due to her caring and nurturing attitude, and she’s given the task of helping John Carter (Taylor Kitsch) acclimate to life among the Tharks.

Morton was a bit reluctant to talk about her character since she’s used to talking more about the film after it’s finished rather than during production.  It’s a position I absolutely respect, and I’m glad she was at least willing to comment on how working with director Andrew Stanton compared to working with Charlie Kaufman (Synecdoche, New York) and Steven Spielberg (Minority Report), adapting a classic piece of literature (John Carter is based off Edgar Rice Burroughs‘ A Princess of Mars), and a bit more.  Hit the jump for the interview.  John Carter opens in 3D on March 9th.

7 New Images from JOHN CARTER

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: February 6th, 2012 at 9:14 am

I was underwhelmed by last night’s Super Bowl spot for John Carter (a movie so epic, it can fit into its title!), but I still think the movie can deliver.  It’s got scope, it’s going to be unlike anything else this year, and it’s got Andrew Stanton (Finding Nemo and WALL-E) at the helm.  Disney has released 7 new images from the film and they provide a better look at Lynn Collins as Dejah Thoris, the warrior princess of Mars.

Hit the jump to check out the images.  The film also stars Taylor Kitsch, Samantha Morton, Mark Strong, Ciaran Hinds, Dominic West, James Purefoy, Daryl Sabara, Polly Walker, Bryan Cranston, Thomas Hayden Church, and Willem Dafoe.  John Carter opens in 3D on March 9th.

Super Bowl Movie Commercials: THE AVENGERS, BATTLESHIP, JOHN CARTER, THE LORAX, G.I. JOE 2, THE DICTATOR

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: February 5th, 2012 at 7:56 pm

Now that we’ve seen the Giants get the W and Madonna DJ the halftime show, it’s time to revisit the most important aspect of the Super Bowl: advertising. We saw a handful of movie trailers during the most watched television event of the year, with spots for everything from The Avengers to The Lorax to Battleship. I think it’s safe to say that The Avengers spot was far and away the best of the bunch; it was certainly the most anticipated. While many were wondering just how much of Joss Whedon’s all-star superhero pic we’d see, I think Marvel nailed the ad. It teased just enough to appease fans familiar with the comics, and highlighted the right aspects to appeal to the general moviegoing public (Iron Man and Captain America are gonna be in a movie together? Neato!). If you thought that trailer was cool, Marvel has released a full one-minute extended version of the spot with 100% more Hulk that we’ve included after the jump.

I was pleasantly surprised by Disney’s John Carter spot, but I’m still not convinced that the general audience has a handle on what the film’s about. Battleship still looks ridiculous, but selling it as the next Transformers is a wise business decision. After the jump we’ve compiled all the movie trailers that ran during the big gamel, including extended versions of the John Carter and The Avengers spots. Hit the jump to check ‘em out.

New Posters for JOHN CARTER, 21 JUMP STREET and MIRROR MIRROR

by Dave Trumbore    Posted: February 2nd, 2012 at 8:27 pm

Seeing as it’s already February and that little furry rodent has predicted six more weeks of winter, we thought we’d take a look ahead to some March movie releases. Coincidentally, three big March movies have recently released new posters. First up is Disney’s March 9^th release, John Carter, starring Taylor Kitsch as a Civil War vet transplanted onto Mars, in an Andrew Stanton-directed picture. Next is the Phil Lord and Chris Miller-directed 21 Jump Street, a March 16^th release starring Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum as two screw-up cops who infiltrate a local high school drug ring. Finally, we have a new poster from the Tarsem Singh project, Mirror Mirror, a Snow White adaptation featuring Lily Collins and Julia Roberts which opens March 30^th. Hit the jump to see the new posters.

Sneak Peek at JOHN CARTER Super Bowl TV Spot

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: January 30th, 2012 at 6:04 pm

The Super Bowl is less than a week away, which means we’re that much closer to a whole lotta football movie trailers. Studios will be taking advantage of the most watched television event of the year by showcasing a bevy of their upcoming releases. Sometimes these TV spots can be used to pique interest in material that general audiences were previously skeptical about (I remember Iron Man rocking everyone’s world a few years back). Disney is no doubt hoping to do the same with John Carter. The big-budget sci-fi adaptation is an incredibly tough sell, and it’ll be interesting to see how the film’s Super Bowl spot goes over. I’m a huge fan of director Andrew Stanton (Wall-E) so I’m really hoping the film delivers, but I’m not entirely sure moviegoers will be rushing to theaters once the film opens.

Nevertheless, Disney has released a snippet of the Super Bowl spot online for your viewing pleasure. It’s incredibly short, but that’s to be expected from a trailer for a 30-second commercial. Hit the jump to check it out. The film stars Taylor Kitsch, Willem Dafoe, Lynn Collins, and Mark Strong. John Carter opens in 3D March 9th.

Japanese Trailer for JOHN CARTER

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: December 26th, 2011 at 10:22 am

I can write up international trailers all day if I need to.  Especially if they are in Japanese to promote Taylor Kitsch movies.  This round, it’s John Carter, with plenty of new footage from the sci-fi epic.  During the holiday movie season, I have seen John Carter footage up on the big screen a few times now, and I think it has the potential to look spectacular at feature length.  I have not yet connected with the story, but I give Andrew Stanton, the writer/director behind WALL·E, the benefit of the doubt.  Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol finally proved once and for all that an animation director—and specifically a Pixar graduate in Brad Bird—can make the leap to big-budget live-action successfully.  Stanton has the material, passion, and skills to follow suit.

Taylor Kitsch, Lynn Collins, Willem Dafoe, Mark Strong, Bryan Cranston, Thomas Haden Church, and James Purefoy star.  John Carter opens in 3D on March 9, 2012.  Watch the new trailer after the break.

Collider’s 15 Most Anticipated Blockbusters of 2012

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: December 24th, 2011 at 8:37 am

As 2011 comes to a close, it’s time to look forward to the movies set to open in 2012. While many are busy compiling their Top 10 lists from 2011, we thought it’d be a good time to run down the list of our 15 most anticipated blockbusters of the coming year. Will The Avengers deliver as the culmination of four years worth of Marvel movies? Just how much of a prequel to Alien is Prometheus? Will The Dark Knight Rises be the greatest movie ever made in the history of movies and awesomeness? There are a lot of unknowns, and we’ve learned that sometimes the best behind-the-scenes talent can still make a stinker (Cowboys & Aliens), but we’re hoping for more than a few pleasant surprises (a la X-Men: First Class) to appease us in 2012. Hit the jump to check out our list.

2 TV Spots and New Images from JOHN CARTER Starring Taylor Kitsch

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: December 16th, 2011 at 1:56 pm

Two new TV spots and a batch of new images have been released for director Andrew Stanton’s (Wall-E) John Carter. Based on Edgar Rice Burroughs’ novel John Carter of Mars, the film tells the story of a former Confederate soldier who is inexplicably transported to Mars where he finds himself in the middle of an epic war between the planet’s inhabitants. The more I see of John Carter the better I feel about it, and these TV spots are no exception. They bring the epic scope of the project into focus, and promise a multitude of creatures, battles, and pretty lights! I’m a huge fan of Stanton’s work at Pixar and I’m hoping he delivers here.

Hit the jump to check out the TV spots and images. The film stars Taylor Kitsch, Willem Dafoe, Lynn Collins, Samantha Morton, Mark Strong, Ciaran Hinds, Dominic West, James Purefoy, Daryl Sabara, Polly Walker, Bryan Cranston, and Thomas Hayden Church. John Carter opens in 3D on March 9th.

Andrew Stanton Explains Why JOHN CARTER Dropped “of Mars” from Title; also Talks about Trying to Change Live-Action Filmmaking

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: December 5th, 2011 at 8:55 am

Did you know that marketing decisions can be condescending and sexist?  It’s true! (and those two qualities usually go hand-in-hand so you shouldn’t be surprised)  I’ve been puzzled as to why Disney changed the title of John Carter to John Carter of Mars.  To me, “of Mars” is the hook.  John Carter is “Some Guy” particular because of his generic name.  If his name was “Captain Billyboots Spaceship” then I can see dropping the “of Mars”.  So why did half the title disappear?

Director Andrew Stanton recently told BleedingCool that the title had already been changed from A Princess of Mars because it was a “truth” that boys wouldn’t go see it if they kept author Edgar Rice Burroughs’ original title. But then, when they changed it to John Carter of Mars, Stanton believed it was also a “truth” that girls wouldn’t see it because apparently girls hate planets.  So the compromise was to make it John Carter and now no one will see it.  Hit the jump for more from Stanton and my thoughts on this idiotic decision.

3 New Banners from JOHN CARTER

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: December 1st, 2011 at 6:59 pm

Disney has released three new banners from the upcoming sci-fi flick John Carter. Directed by Wall-E’s Andrew Stanton, the film tells the story of a former Confederate soldier who is inexplicably transported to Mars where he finds himself in the middle of an epic war between the planet’s inhabitants. While I wasn’t too impressed by the first teaser trailer, the latest full trailer has raised my spirits. It looks to be incredibly expansive, the special effects look pretty impressive, and I’m intrigued to see more. Given Stanton’s Pixar background, I’m hoping the full film delivers.

These new banners are pretty nifty. They highlight star Taylor Kitsch and the many creatures he encounters on his journey (including Tars Tarkas portrayed through motion-capture by Willem Dafoe). Hit the jump to check them out. The film also stars Lynn Collins, Samantha Morton, Mark Strong, Ciaran Hinds, Dominic West, James Purefoy, Daryl Sabara, Polly Walker, Bryan Cranston, and Thomas Hayden Church. John Carter opens in 3D on March 9th.

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