I’ve heard good things about John Carter from people who have seen it, but sadly the film’s marketing has been a mess.  A recent featurette finally showed off the film’s scope and so does the final trailer.  But none of the trailers (except one that was fan-made, and far better than any of Disney’s trailers) took a single moment to explain who John Carter is, how he got to Mars, and why he has special powers.  Does any audience member who is unfamiliar with the source material, Edgar Rice Burroughs’ novel A Princess of Mars, know anything about the character beyond “Shirtless Dude Who Fights Weird Creatures”?  The movie is titled “John Carter” and Disney never took the time to tell us anything about him.

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

In case you’re still holding out and haven’t seen Syfy’s excellent Battlestar Galactica prequel Caprica, you’re missing out on one of the absolute best shows on TV.  You don’t have to have seen any Battlestar to enjoy it, so don’t let its fantastic nerd pedigree scare you off.  This recap of the first half of season 1 is a good primer for what’s happened so far: basically, a teenage girl (Alessandra Torressani) dies in a terrorist bombing but her avatar is still alive in a steampunk-meets-Grand Theft Auto virtual world, and her father (Eric Stoltz) creates the Cylons while monotheistic fringe groups and James Marsters create chaos.  Caprica returns on Syfy on October 5^th at 10pm.  Watch the 5 minute recap after the jump:

Last August, before anyone had seen the kick-ass teaser trailer, before most people knew who Sam Worthington was, and when everyone online debated how much money Fox was going to lose on Avatar, I got to visit the London set of director Louis Leterrier’s Clash of the Titans.  Going in, I thought the movie was going to be pretty big.  But when I got to the set and saw the size and scope firsthand, I realized this was a movie I couldn’t wait to see put together, and I left London excited and impressed by what Warner Bros. showed us.

If you’ve read my previous set reports for Watchmen or Observe and Report, you know I try and avoid writing about spoilers and other things that might ruin watching the movie.  But if you want to know what visiting a movie set is really like and what I observed while there, continue reading after the jump:

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:

Andrew Stanton has made quite a name for himself at Pixar, but his first endeavor in live action films begins today as his adaptation of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ beloved John Carter of Mars starts principal photography in London. Burroughs’ string of books, written in the early 20^th century, are collectively known as the “Barsoom” series and have inspired authors Arthur C. Clarke, Ray Bradbury, and Robert A. Heinlein, while also having a heavy influence on Star Wars and Avatar.

Having already read the first in the series, A Princess of Mars, I have to say that there is much to be excited about as Burroughs brings an epic scale and an incredibly imagined world with resonating themes and lots of sword fighting. Joining the Academy Award-winning director is an all-star cast, including Taylor Kitsch as John Carter, Lynn Collins, Willem Dafoe, Thomas Haden Church, Polly Walker, Samantha Morton, Mark Strong, Ciaran Hinds, Dominic West, James Purefoy, Bryan Cranston, and Daryl Sabara.

For the full press release, including a plot synopsis and the incredible team Stanton has assembled, hit the jump.

Bryan Cranston, one of the best actors on TV on one of the best shows on TV, has signed on to co-star in Andrew Stanton’s (WALL-E) adaptation of John Carter of Mars.  Based on the Edgar Rice Burroughs series of sci-fi novels, the story follows John Carter (Taylor Kitsch), a Civil War soldier who is mysteriously transported to Mars.  Once there, he is caught in the middle of a war between various groups of Martians.  Heat Vision reports that Cranston will play a Civil War colonel who comes into conflict with Carter.  Unfortunately, that doesn’t sound like a very large role since I imagine most of the film will take place on some planet that is not ours.  The cast also includes Lynn Collins, Willem Dafoe, Samantha Morton, Polly Walker, Thomas Haden Church, James Purefoy, Dominic West, and Mark Strong.

Cranston currently stars on Breaking Bad on AMC and won back-to-back Emmys for Best Actor in a Drama for his performance as mild-mannered meth kingpin Walter White.  It’s a must-watch show.  The first season is already on DVD, the second season will be available on DVD/Blu-ray on March 16th, and the third season premieres on March 21st.  You must catch up and then tune in.

I hadn’t heard any casting news for “John Carter of Mars” lately.  The last we heard was when Willem Dafoe happened.  It was a joyous time and my worries were put to rest.  But it’s been over a month since then and when you don’t hear news about “John Carter of Mars”, you worry because the project hasn’t had the easiest time making it to production.  I ask director Andrew Stanton to call me on the cell phone I gave him for emergencies but I haven’t heard from him once.  It makes me upset and disappointed not to mention that I’m pretty sure he’s just using it to text his friends.

But it’s a relief to hear more actors are coming on board: Samantha Morton, Dominic West, and Polly Walker.  Hit the jump to find out which roles they’ll be playing.